


A Heaven of Hell. A Hell of Heaven

by WarlockWriter



Series: Bonded Angels [3]
Category: Supernatural, The Agency (TV 2001), The Evil Gene (2015)
Genre: Angelic Grace Bonds (Supernatural), Archangel Blades (Supernatural), BAMF!Cas, BAMF!Gabriel, Case Fic, M/M, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-02
Updated: 2019-07-06
Packaged: 2020-02-16 06:40:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 73,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18686182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WarlockWriter/pseuds/WarlockWriter
Summary: Direct sequel to Out of Hell Leads up to Light. More sequel-related notes in the Notes to the first chapter.Sam and Gabriel have bonded, and Gabriel is done with running. It's time to deal with AU!Michael. But Gabriel is still low on power, and even at full power, he can't defeat Michael on his own. Who can they enlist to help in the fight? Lucifer? Really? Do they have other allies, perhaps?And will Dean and Cas ever get back together?Fills the "Protective Gabriel" and "Thought Projecting" squares on the Gabriel Bingo.Thanks toHixyStixfor letting me bounce ideas off of her,FalCatreconfor the beta read andScrollingKingfisherfor some awesome additions to the final battle.The story is complete but I decided to post it in parts because there are some good internal cliff hangers to keep you all entertained. ;)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Apologies for the long note, but there are two ways people can come to this story, and I think a bit of explanation is in order.
> 
> As stated above, this is the direct sequel to Out of Hell Leads Up to Light, and the story will make a lot less sense if you haven't read that one. If you're coming to this from that, there will be two characters you may not recognize. Don't worry. There's explanation in-story, and their role is relatively small.
> 
> This is also a sequel to Salvation Beyond Universes and Back to Basics, but, again reading Out of Hell would be helpful because you are coming into the middle of a storyline. Also, Lex and Griff have relatively small roles in this story, but that will change in the next story in Salvation Verse.
> 
> Which leads to one more note. This is the end of Bonded Angels Verse, but Salvation Verse really gets going after this one. The next Salvation Verse story is written and I should be able to start posting it soon after this one is complete.
> 
> I think that's it?

Damn, it was always good to come back home. Skeevy hotel rooms were a necessary evil of the hunting lifestyle, but Dean was always glad to come to the Bunker. Other than Bobby's junkyard, the Bunker was the only place that had ever been "home" for Dean.

He clumped down the stairs, eager to lose the weight of his bag and at least twenty pounds of hunting gear.

Sam was just passing through the front room as he reached the bottom of the stairs. "Hey, Dean. How was the hunt?"

"Pretty much what we'd thought. Simple salt 'n burn. Milk run, really." When Sam had found the case, they'd been pretty sure it was a one-man job, and Dean had volunteered to take care of it. Ever since his little brother had bonded the archangel Gabriel, the two of them had been twitchy about being apart.

Gabriel's grace was regenerating, but it was a slow process after seven years of torture and grace-draining at the slimy hands of Asmodeus. Gabriel could teleport, but any kind of distance set back his recovery so far that everyone had agreed he needed to save his grace to train Jack in readiness for the upcoming battle against AU!Michael. (Gabriel had started writing it that way after he found the shortcut in a _Supernatural_ fanfic online. The archangel still giggled at random times, and, from the blush that always rose in Sam's cheeks, Dean had a pretty good idea of the nature of some of the fanfic Gabriel read.)

So, Gabriel was under strict orders to save his grace, which led to some (to Dean) hilarious fights between Gabriel and Sam when they disagreed about the proper uses of archangel grace. Gabriel insisted that teleporting "real, European chocolate--Sam, how can you eat that American crap?" was a valid use of his grace. Naturally, Sam disagreed.

Dean and Cas often retreated to one end of the bunker to collapse in laughter over an Archangel of the Lord as hen-pecked husband material. And Dean constantly reminded himself to upgrade the sound-proofing in his room. Gabriel had a tendency to get very loud during make up sex. Dean had set up a tent outside the Bunker for when it got too unbearable.

Yeah, things had been more interesting in the Bunker since Gabriel's arrival.

"That's good, man," Sam said. "Cas had argued pretty hard that it sounded like a bigger deal."

Dean rolled his eyes and started down the hallway for the weapon vault. Sam fell into step beside him. "Yeah, Cas has got to figure out that I have been hunting pretty much all my life. I can recognize a simple case by now."

"He just worries about you, is all."

"I got by just fine for decades without him. Not that he isn't awfully good to have around, but really..." To redirect the conversation, he added, "Speaking of angels, where's yours?"

Smiling, Sam said, "Training Jack. I was just heading that way when you showed up."

Dean walked into the weapons vault and grunted as he put his heavy bag down on the table and started unpacking. "Training still going well with the Jedi Master and Padawan?" Sure, that movie was crap, but it was still a good analogy. Plus, the Qui-Gon/Darth Maul battle was still awesome.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, Gabe says he's almost to the point where he can't teach Jack anything else. What he needs now is real life practice."

Dean broke apart his Colt 1911 and started cleaning it, fingers moving automatically through the long-familiar motions. "In other words, we're almost done with Phase One, and it's time to move to Two."

"Pretty much."

Sam paused. Dean recognized that pause from long association with his brother. "What is it, Sam?"

Sam's expression grew uncertain. "Dean, there's been something I've been meaning to ask."

Dean thought he knew where this was going, but he figured it was better to let Sam just ask it. "Okay," was all he said.

"It's about you and Gabe. Look, I'm glad and all that you don't seem to hate him. I'd been expecting to have to run interference between you forever, but you seem okay with him. Is that just because he and I are together?"

That all kind of came out in a rush, and Dean suppressed a chuckle at the earnest nature of Sam's words. "That's part of it, but no, not all of it."

"Okay, then what?"

Dean bought himself a moment by peering down the barrel of his gun, checking for dirt. Finally, he said, "It was while we were over there."

"In Apocalypse World, you mean. When we found Jack?"

"Yeah, that time. I saw how Gabriel was with Jack. I mean, he took to the kid right away. I saw that he knew the meaning of family and figured I could work with that." He looked his brother in the eye. "Didn't hurt that he practically killed himself saving you from a bullet, so I figured it wasn't all bad that you had yourself your own personal guardian angel." With long practice, he ignored the stab of hurt that accompanied the words. He and Cas were still friends, good friends even, but they hadn't been anything more than that since Dean had taken on the Mark of Cain.

Sam followed his brother's thoughts with the ease of long practice. "Dean, I know if you and Cas just talked--"

"Water under the bridge, Sammy. Water under the bridge." Yeah, they probably should talk. Trouble was, neither of them could figure out how to start the damned conversation. "So anyway, you've got your angel, and he's good for you." He gave his brother a wry grin. "Which doesn't mean that I needed to learn the pornographic details of what you sound like during sex."

Sam had apparently learned volume from his archangel.

His brother grinned and came back with, "Dude! I've known those details about you since I was twelve!"

Both brothers started laughing. When he could speak again, Sam asked, "Want to go watch Gabriel and Jack train for a bit?"

Dean shook his head. "Nah. I've been on the road for sixteen hours. I need to shower and change."

Sam started for the door. "I'll say."

Dean threw a cleaning cloth at his brother. Sam dodged it and laughing again, left the room.

Yeah, Gabriel had been good for Sam. His little brother had smiled and laughed more in the last six months than in the previous six years.

***

Sam could hear the clang of swords clashing as he got closer to what they had all started calling the Danger Room. Yes, of course, Gabriel was a fan of comic books.

The Danger Room had started as a barracks, with bunks for about twenty. They had disassembled and removed the bunks, leaving a large clear space for Gabriel to train Jack. Over the next six months, Gabriel had used careful trickles of grace to adapt the room to their needs.

Now the Danger Room had a shooting range (enspelled so that bullets couldn't leave the lane), mirrors on the walls, a weapons rack with hand-to-hand weapons, including ones Sam had no name for--Gabriel insisted he had fought with all of them--and Gabriel's personal favorite, a regulation fencing strip.

Sam had given up fighting Gabriel about the profligate use of grace to mold the room. It made the archangel so happy, and Sam was hard-pressed to deny him much. Besides, Sam and Dean had discovered that fencing was fun. Dean preferred saber moves, while Sam enjoyed the flexibility of epee. Cas, however, was deadly accurate with a foil.

Gabriel's recovery from Asmodeus' torture had come a long way. The casual observer would think him fully recovered, but those who lived with him, particularly Sam, knew otherwise. No one, except Sam, touched him without warning. He still startled at sudden sounds. The nightmares had reduced in frequency from multiple times a night to, some weeks, only one or two. Sam knew that was largely due to Gabriel's decreasing need for sleep as he recovered. He was down to about two hours a night, although he made a point of going to sleep with Sam and being there when the Hunter awoke in the morning.

Most frustrating for Gabriel was sex. His tolerance had gone from just hand jobs to blow jobs, but no matter what they did, the archangel could not tolerate anal sex, in either direction. Sam even had to be careful where he placed his fingers on Gabriel's ass. An inch or so in the wrong direction produced a violent startle reaction.

Sam insisted that he didn't mind, and he really didn't since he had never experienced anal sex anyway. However, it occasionally left Gabriel in a rotten mood, and Sam had learned to give him space at those times.

Training Jack, however, usually put the archangel in a good mood, and Sam smiled as he entered the Danger Room.

They were practicing at half speed, which Gabriel said developed precision. It had taken nearly four months, but Jack could finally produce an angel blade. Gabriel believed in practice with real weapons, so now they faced each other with the only blades in existence that could kill them. Dean approved. Sam occasionally wished they would use practice blades, but he trusted Gabriel's skill, speed and instincts to keep them out of trouble.

Jack's technique was a mixture of several fighting styles. Angel blades were mostly point, so he used primarily epee moves, with the occasional saber blocks and parries with the edge of his blade. He moved with assurance and precision, lunging, blocking and parrying with ease.

As good as Jack had become, he still looked almost clumsy in comparison to his uncle. Gabriel flowed through the moves with grace and ease, making it look more like dancing than fighting. Sam just watched him for a moment. Lunge. Parry. Block. Grin. Step back. Re-position. Lunge. Touch.

Jack shook his head and looked down to where Gabriel had touched him, right in the center of his chest. "I've got to learn not to fall for that sequence."

Gabriel was still grinning. Sam found himself smiling too. This was a side of Gabriel he didn't get to see often enough, and he treasured it.

"It's because you watch my facial expressions, and I can distract you with a smile." He pointed to his eyes. "Watch these. They telegraph every move and won't distract you."

"Until you get that wicked twinkle in them."

Gabriel shrugged. "Well, I can't help that." He motioned to the watching human. "Come on over, Sam," Gabriel said. "A little two on one action will do him some good."

Sam picked up an angel blade from the weapons rack. "As long as that action just uses _these_ blades." He hefted the angel blade to make his point clear.

Jack might be young, but with Gabriel as his uncle, he'd quickly learned his way around double entendres. He smiled at the banter.

Gabriel's eyes sported the aforementioned twinkle. "Sam. For shame. He's my _nephew_!"

Sam stepped beside Jack. They both raised their blades.

Gabriel sped up to three quarter speed while Sam and Jack fought at half speed. The archangel easily handled both of them, moving into position to block every move. Sam and Jack tried almost everything they could think of, including coming at him from two different directions, but Gabriel was never out of position.

After several minutes, Gabriel yelled, "Be ready to grace shield!"

Sam was surprised. He rarely allowed Sam to be a part of this maneuver. Dean, Cas, Lex and Griff had all been roped into this, but Gabriel usually gave a firm "No" when Sam volunteered.

_I'll keep it to little more than a trickle. Promise._ Gabriel said, directly mind-to-mind with Sam.

The three fought for a minute more until, with no more warning than a hint of a blue glow in Gabriel's eyes, the archangel let loose with a tiny blast of his grace.

Jack reacted immediately. His wings snapped out, the left wing furling around to protect Sam, who dropped to the ground under it. Jack rotated his body, right wing spread for balance. Without dropping Sam's protection, Jack lunged and touched his uncle in the center of his chest.

"Hold position!" Gabriel commanded.

Jack froze in place, perfectly balanced in his lunge.

"Sam? Evaluation?" Gabriel asked.

Sam peeked out from under Jack's wing. The Nephilim's positioning was stable, his lunge was picture perfect, and Sam was completely protected.

"Looks good to me," Sam said, with a big smile of pride for Jack.

"Release," Gabriel commanded.

Jack recovered back into a perfect fencing stance, and his wings folded back into him. He held the stance for a moment before grinning and exclaiming, "I did it, Uncle!"

Gabriel was smiling as he stepped forward to enfold his nephew in a tight hug.

As soon as Jack was pressed against Gabriel's chest and couldn't see his expression, Sam's smile faded into a small frown. Emotion flowed down the angel/human link. _Pride/loss/frustration._ However, Gabriel's outward expression held nothing but pride in the accomplishment of his student.

Sam sighed. So much for Gabriel's good mood.

The angel held Jack for a moment longer before letting go and stepping back. "I think I heard Dean-o come back in. Why don't you go see if he needs any help with his gear?"

Jack nodded, his angel blade sliding back up his sleeve. He ran out of the Danger Room.

Gabriel's expression slipped, and Sam stepped forward to pull his lover into a one-armed hug.

One more thing still frustrated the archangel. He hadn’t recovered the ability to manifest his wings, which was why he had worked so hard at training Jack. An angel's wings were one of the few things that could protect a human from an explosion of angel grace. They expected Michael to use every trick he could think of, and every human would be a target of grace attacks.

Gabriel was determined not to lose any members of his adopted family.

"You'll get them back," Sam said soothingly. "You just need to heal a bit more."

"It's been six months, Sam!" Gabriel snapped back.

"I know, and you've said yourself that you're barely at a third of your strength. Give yourself time."

"Time is the one thing we don't have. Jack is trained. We need to start Phase Two, and that will involve conflict with other angels. But that's not all I'm worried about. You know that we need to recruit Lucifer, and without wings, that might not end well."

Sam understood. Among angels, displaying wings was a way of expressing power and status. Without wings, Gabriel had no status to use as leverage against his brother.

"We'll make it work. It's what we do."

Gabriel huffed out a breath. "Yeah, I guess." Suddenly, his head went up, and his body went on alert. Sam was always reminded of a hunting cat or, more appropriately, a bird of prey, when he did that.

"What?"

"Jody and Claire just arrived. I didn't know anyone had called them."

"I called them last night, when you said you were almost done training Jack. Dean was on his way back by then, and I figured we'd all be discussing next steps. I want them in on it."

Gabriel was nodding. "Good thinking." He paused and added, “Where are Lex and Griff?”

“Coming back from a hunt. They won’t get back until early tomorrow. But they know the plan, so I thought it would be okay to brief Jody and Claire without them.”

Lex and Griff were two of Gabriel’s potential vessels. Lex was from this universe, but Griff was from another one. A month or so earlier, Gabriel had recruited Lex to save Griff and another vessel, Bill Koehler, from yet another universe. Griff and Bill had both been in danger, and Gabriel had already lost one vessel. He didn’t want to lose another. Bill had stayed in his universe with his wife, but Griff had nothing holding him to his universe so he had accompanied Lex. The two were turning into good hunters and this hunt, a restless ghost, had been their first solo hunt.

Gabriel nodded. “Yes. That makes sense. We can slot them into the plan when they get back.” He sighed, gave Sam a quick hug and added, "I guess that means we go start this thing."


	2. Chapter 2

Jack had just dashed into the weapons vault as Dean was putting away the last of his gear. "Oh, I guess you don't need any help," he said.

Dean shook his head. "No, I just finished. How was training?"

Jack grinned widely. "It was great. I did a perfect grace shield and got in a touch on Uncle Gabriel."

That was impressive. Dean only managed to touch Gabriel when the archangel wanted him to. For Jack to have done it as part of a grace shield was an accomplishment, and he said so to the young Nephilim.

As he spoke, Jack went into a listening position, unconsciously mirroring Gabriel in the Danger Room.

Dean's hand automatically went to his gun. "What's up, kid?"

Jack relaxed. "It's just Jody and Claire. I forgot that Sam called them last night."

Dean let go of his pistol and said, "Well, then let's go greet them. Sam called them in for planning?"

"Yes."

The two walked into the main room just as Claire ran down the stairs, followed more sedately by Jody.

"Jack!" Claire said.

Dean smiled as they hugged. While Claire and Jody had only visited a few times in the last six months, the two youngsters had grown close.

Cas entered the main room and smiled awkwardly at Dean. He looked like he wanted to come over for a hug but stopped himself at the last minute.

Damn. It was like things were getting worse between them the closer they got to the main event. Dean wondered again how the situation had gotten to this point and what, if anything, they could do about it.

Gabriel and Sam came in from the Danger Room, and everyone got in a round of greetings, followed by food. Dean allowed himself to be talked into making burgers, and everyone was well-fed before they all went to the Situation Room.

Gabriel had made a point of naming every room in the Bunker, although he refused to divulge what he called his and Sam's room. Cas' room was "The Crib," while Dean's was "The Garage." Dean had been surprised at how mild the name had been. Lex and Griff lived in the Bunker too, but Gabriel said he was still working on just the right names for theirs.

Once they were all settled around a wall map of Apocalypse World--Dean and Cas had brought it back on their last trip--Sam said, "Cas, why don't you fill Jody and Claire in on the plan? I don't think they've heard it all yet."

Dean couldn't stop looking at the map. The utter lack of Florida still sent chills through him.

Cas nodded. "All right. Dean and I have been on three trips through the Rift since we brought Jack back. Each time, we've gathered more intelligence." He motioned to the map behind him. "Castiel gave us this the last time we were there."

Dean noticed the frowns on both Jody and Claire at the mention of "Castiel." He interjected. "That's what we call the Apocalypse World version of our Cas."

Claire brightened at that. "There's a second Cas over there?"

Of course, as Cas' vessel, she'd be interested.

Gabriel chimed up from the other side of the room, where he was sprawled across Sam in a chair that didn't look big enough to hold the two of them. "Yep. Dean and my brother call him 'Castiel.' I prefer 'AU!Cas."

Cas frowned. Claire giggled. Jody looked confused.

Dean sighed. Someone needed to be the adult here. "It's Gabriel's term. Apparently 'AU' something is a thing in that fanfiction he spends far too much time reading." He was trying for stern but thought it probably came out more like disgusted.

"Fanfiction?" Jody asked at the same time Claire met Gabriel's eyes and said, "ArchangelGabrielLives?"

Gabriel raised his hand in a virtual high five. "Of course. Best Sabriel smut there is on the Internet."

Dean rolled his eyes and noticed that Sam looked entirely too pleased with the exchange. Seriously? His big girl of a brother read that crap too?

Jody was shaking her head and looked as if she'd decided to leave the topic alone.

However, Claire wasn't done. "Dean, you need to read some stories by TheDogSled. I think you'd like her stuff."

Gabriel collapsed into convulsive giggles, although Dean couldn't figure out why. Dog sled didn't sound too weird. Unless she wrote stories about him and dogs, but somehow he didn't think that was it.

"Enough," Cas said. "Perhaps we could get back to the matter at hand. Like stopping AU!Michael."

Dean caught the crinkle of humor in the corners of Cas' eyes. Gabriel had been a terrible influence on him.

Sam said, "Very funny, Cas. But we should get back to the briefing." Oh, now his brother decided to act like an adult.

Cas cleared his throat, a habit he had picked up from so many years living with humans. "Jody and Claire, to bring you up to speed, Michael from the Apocalypse World is getting ready to invade our world. He and his angels have completely destroyed their version of Earth, and now they want to come and befoul ours. Rebel humans from that world have been resisting him, and continue to do so. Ketch and Mary Winchester have been there for some months, assisting in the resistance and gathering information. We know roughly how many angels he has, and the rebels have been doing what they can to winnow down their numbers."

"How many are we talking about?" Jody asked.

"Somewhere between six and seven hundred," Cas answered.

Jody whistled. "That's a lot of angels."

Cas nodded.

"How many rebels?" Claire asked.

"Less than two thousand," came Cas' even reply.

Jody was shaking her head before he even finished speaking. "That's terrible odds."

"Agreed," Sam said. "Which is why this plan has several phases. What Cas hasn't told you yet is that Michael also has a Nephilim."

Jody cut her eyes over to Jack and back to Sam. "Just like him?"

"Older and more experienced," Dean answered.

"How come there's only one?" Claire asked. Dean was pleased that the girl was thinking strategically.

Gabriel answered this one. "Because my AU baby brother was entirely too clever for his own good. You'd almost think I was the one who'd trained him."

"Get on with it, Gabriel," Dean said with an annoyed growl.

Gabriel winked at him and said, "Castiel is apparently the only angel who can heal Michael, and when his big brother was injured, the little scamp sterilized him while he was healing the wounds."

Claire grinned. "I like AU!You, Cas."

It took Dean a moment to work out exactly what she'd said, and once he got it, a pang went through him. It sounded too much like EndVerse!Cas saying he'd liked "Past You" to future Dean. Even though that future had never happened, Dean still occasionally awoke from dreams of a white-suited Lucifer inhabiting the body of his little brother. And of Cas’ dead body sprawled on muddy ground. Now that he thought about it, there had been entirely too many alternate universes in the Winchester lives. He almost needed a score card.

Jody was the one who brought practicality back to the conversation. "You mentioned phases to this plan?"

Cas put his hands on the table and leaned forward. "Yes, Phase One, the training of Jack is complete."

"So what's Phase Two?" Claire asked.

"Dean, Jack and I cross over to Apocalypse World to get some practical experience for Jack. In addition, Castiel has a few angels working on his side. He believes the presence of a Nephilim and the promise of another archangel will allow him to convert others."

Jody fixed Gabriel with her gaze. "You being the other archangel?"

Gabriel shrugged, which, considering his sprawl over Sam, did little more than push his shoulder into Sam's arm. "Apparently AU!Me was popular with the younger generation of angels."

"Generations?" Claire asked.

"Of course," Cas answered. "Our Father made us in...batches?"

All the humans and Gabriel laughed at that. Dean tried not to, but even he couldn't control a quick bark of amusement. Cas tried hard, but he didn't always use quite the right word. Although, if Dean knew his angel and the hint of humor he detected in those blue eyes, Cas might have said it on purpose this time.

Barely coherent through his laughter, Gabriel managed to get out, "That makes it sound like Dad made them like cookies."

Dean watched the hint of humor grow in the angel's eyes. "The later generations did have an almost cookie cutter sameness to them, brother."

Gabriel turned to muffle his mirth in Sam's stomach. "Got me there, baby bro."

Sam's mouth still quirked, but he managed to say, "Okay, everyone. If we're going to get on with Phase Two this century, we need to finish the briefing. Cas, stop setting off my archangel."

Cas nodded, although Dean was pretty sure he'd be unable to speak for another moment or two. Fortunately, Jody recovered quickly and said, "I get why you'd like more angels on your side, but isn't that awfully risky? If Michael gets wind of what you're doing, he could infiltrate your forces."

Cas stood up straight, crossing his arms across his chest. "That's true, but there are no safe ways to approach this. Any angels my counterpart can turn will both increase our forces and weaken Michael’s. You said it yourself, Claire. The odds are not good. Anything we can do to increase them will help."

From the steel in Jody's eyes, Dean could tell she wasn't happy about it, but they'd discussed this to death. None of them liked the plan, but there weren't many...or any...better options.

Now it was Claire's turn to ask, "What about you and Gabriel, Sam? What are you doing while the rest are over there?"

The mood in the room sobered immediately. Gabriel shifted position to sit in front of Sam, who settled the angel against his chest and between his legs. Dean had noticed they adopted that position when Gabriel was stressed. Sure enough, a moment later, Sam gently curled his arms around the archangel's chest.

When Gabriel spoke, there was no humor in his voice. "That's the tricky part of this phase. When we go up against Michael and his forces, we all have our roles to play. Jack deals with the Nephilim. Dean, Cas, Castiel, his angels and the rebels take on Michael's angels. Which leaves Michael himself."

Jack shifted as Gabriel spoke, but he kept quiet. Typical of youth, Jack was convinced he could battle Michael, but the rest of Team Free Will 2.0 (as Sam had started calling them several months ago) were united in their opposition to Jack facing Michael. As backup, once the opposing Nephilim was down, fine, but he wasn't going to face Michael on his own. Which left a power vacuum.

Gabriel continued. "I'm still...weak."

From the way Sam narrowed his eyes, Dean suspected Gabriel had been about to use a different, harsher word. Sam and Gabriel were bonded now, and, while Dean still didn't understand everything about that, he knew they communicated telepathically and could read each other's emotions. Dean was certain Sam had just insisted that Gabriel change his word usage.

"And even if I were at full strength, I still can't fight Michael on my own. He's the eldest and most powerful of us."

"So this whole plan falls apart," Jody said in exasperation.

"Not quite," Sam said, his tone resolved. "While our world's Michael is still out of commission, there is still one more archangel on this side of the rift."

"Lucifer," Claire said, the word dropping into the middle of the conversation like an anvil.

"Lucifer," Gabriel said in agreement.

"But how?" Jody asked. "Even assuming you can get him on our side, how can you even begin to trust him?"

'I have a few ideas on that score," Gabriel said. "Most of them bad, but then that's pretty much what we're left with at this point."

Dean cleared his throat, and everyone looked at him. "As long as one of those bad ideas doesn't involve Lucifer riding my brother."

Claire let out a tiny gasp of horror. Of course, she more than some in the room, would know exactly what that meant. Cas moved a few feet to hover reassuringly over his other vessel.

Dean watched as Gabriel stood up and moved to stand behind Sam, leaning over him. Dean was certain that if he could manifest his wings, they'd see them now, furled possessively and protectively over his bonded human. Gabriel met his eyes squarely. Dean knew what that cost the angel. Even this many months later, he avoided direct eye contact when he could. "Never." The faint hint of an approaching thunderstorm drifted through the room. "He'll never get his hands on Sam again."

Dean gave a small nod of acknowledgement, and Gabriel gave one right back. Dean hadn't always liked the former Trickster, but he never doubted the angel would die to protect Sam. In fact, now that Dean thought about it, he wondered if, because of the bond with Gabriel, Lucifer was even able to ride Sam anymore.

"So you and Sam are going to find Lucifer and convince him to ally himself to us?" Jody asked by way of clarification.

"That's correct," Gabriel said, still leaning over Sam, who reached up and traced a finger down one of his arms. Dean watched as the angel relaxed. Slightly.

"Do you know where he is?" Jody asked.

"Not yet, but it will be easy enough for me to find him," Gabriel answered. "His power signature will stand out to me as soon as I start looking."

"And can he find you when you do that?" Claire asked, once again demonstrating that she knew more about angels than a typical human.

Now Gabriel gave a Trickster-style grin. "Not a chance. My brother is more of the brute force use of grace kinda guy. While, I, on the other hand, have a made a lifelong study of the finer points of using grace subtly."

Jody gave him a quick grin. "Okay, so we know what you all are doing. What about us? How do we fit in to this plan?"

Cas took over since this part of the plan had been all his idea. "We need you to activate what's left of the Hunter network."

The British Men of Letters had made a concerted effort to eliminate all the American Hunters, but they hadn't succeeded despite their best efforts. However, the Hunter community was significantly smaller now and had resisted efforts to organize again. Dean and Sam, however, had been confident that Jody had the street cred to make it happen.

Jody was nodding. "I'd figured it would be something like that, but to what end?"

"We need you to look for any signs that Michael has come through to our world," Cas answered.

That elicited a frown and raised eyebrow from Jody. "How likely is that?"

"Not very," Cas said. “But we can't take chances at this point."

"What makes you think it's not likely?" Claire asked. "If he's as powerful as you say, I'm surprised he hasn't invaded already."

Cas gave a small smile. "We had been worried about that last year. My counterpart had been certain he could give us several weeks to prepare, but then it took longer than we expected to train Jack."

Jack cut in, eyes flashing in anger and his tone harsh. "Because it took me four whole months to learn to summon an angel blade."

"Not your fault, kiddo," Gabriel said. He had resumed his position sprawled over Sam. "You got there in the end, which was the important part."

As Jack tended to do now when he was agitated, he summoned his blade. Claire gasped at the sight of it. Which was completely understandable since everyone who'd ever seen an angel blade did the same thing.

Where regular angel blades were silver and archangel blades a mixture of gold and silver, Jack's blade was the cool, almost blue color of well-forged steel. It was also longer and thicker than either of the other blades, which was why Jack could use saber moves in addition to epee. Jack's blade only had one cutting edge, but it was long and thick enough to parry with.

"That's pretty," Claire said, her eyes wide in evident pleasure.

Jack gave her a quick nod of thanks.

"Okay," Gabriel said, drawing the word out into several syllables. "Now that we've all looked at the pretty, let's get back to the matter at hand. When we realized it was going to take longer to train Jack, and, incidentally, for my grace to recover, my baby brother proved he really is related to me by coming up with a scheme worthy of my old Trickster days." He motioned for his brother to take over.

Dean sat back, both entertained and bothered by what his angel had come up with.

"On our second trip through the Rift," Cas began, "I suggested that my counterpart encourage Michael to distract himself by attempting to produce more Nephilim. Apparently, he's becoming quite upset by his repeated failures."

Claire cackled, but Jody looked somber. "While amusing, and obviously effective, doesn't that potentially put your counterpart in danger? At some point, Michael's going to wonder about the cause of his inability to father a child."

Which was exactly why Dean was bothered by the scheme.

"I'd had similar thoughts, which was why on our last trip through, I suggested that Castiel cease his encouragement," Cas said, his tone even. "He said he'd let it go for another week or so and then urge Michael to get back to his battle plans."

Dean only hoped Castiel was still all right. Since his forces lacked an archangel, the communication between worlds was only one way. Sam had suggested leaving a vial of Gabriel's grace over there, in case of emergencies, but both Castiels and Gabriel had argued against it. All the angels felt there was a risk in leaving other world grace there, given the possibility that Michael could sense it.

Jody recapped quickly. "So you three--" She nodded at Dean, Cas and Jack. "--go across the Rift to gather up angels, show off a Nephilim and give Jack practical battle experience. Sam and Gabriel recruit Lucifer." Her tone made it clear she was still not in favor of that idea. "While Claire and I activate the Hunter network and keep an eye out for Michael."

Cas nodded. "Exactly."

Sam added. “And you’ll have the help of an excellent hacker. I don’t think either of you have met Lex yet.”

Jody frowned. “Lex? No. I don’t think I’ve met him. Is he another Hunter?”

“Not exactly,” Gabriel answered. “I’ll try to keep this short. I have vessels in other universes. A couple were in danger, and Lex helped me out by saving them. I’ll let him tell you the full story.”

“You should probably know that because he’s a vessel, he looks almost exactly like Gabriel,” Sam added. “As does Griff, one of the vessels who came back with Lex instead of staying in his own universe.”

“Three of you?” Jody asked, her expression a cross between amused and appalled.

Gabriel winked at her. “No such thing as too many of me.”

Jody snorted at him but smiled at the same time.

“So what about the other one, Griff you said his name was?” Claire asked.

Gabriel and Dean glared at each other. They had debated this issue several times, but Dean was pretty sure he’d managed to convince the angel to go along with his idea. Finally, Gabriel nodded at Dean to answer.

“He’s going with me, Jack and Cas,” Dean said. “Dude is very good with a blade, and we can use another fighter.”

Claire glanced at Dean and then at Gabriel. “And you don’t agree?”

Gabriel shrugged. “Went to all that trouble to save him, and then I send him into another universe? Yeah, I’ve got issues with it.” He sighed. “But I see the sense in it, so I’m going along with it.”

“Lex is much better used here,” Sam said. “He’s getting better with weapons, but his strength is with computers. He’ll probably create a bot to look for signs of Michael.”

“And he’s not bad in a fight if needed,” Gabriel added.

Dean had noticed Gabriel tended to be protective of Lex. Not that he wasn’t also protective of Griff, but there was a difference, and he wondered about it.

Jody nodded her agreement. "Okay, so we get Lex when he--" She looked around, a question on her expression.

“He and Griff will be back from a hunt in the morning,” Sam said.

“Okay then. That’s it?”

Everyone exchanged glances, but no one spoke.

"All right, then. It's been good seeing you all, but Claire and I had better get back home so we can start making some calls."

"Sure you don't want to stay the night, Jody?" Dean asked. "It's a long drive, and we've got plenty of room."

Jody gave him a mock-scowl. "It's not that long a drive, bucko, and there's two of us."

Claire and Jack were off to the side, exchanging quiet words. Dean wondered if there wasn't something growing between them. If so, he didn't mind. Jack was family, and as Cas' vessel, Claire was something close to it. Either of them could do worse.

Everyone said their goodbyes. As soon as Claire and Jody were gone, Sam put a hand in the small of Gabriel's back and nudged him in the direction of their room. Dean watched them go, sensing the entire conversation had been a strain for the archangel. They both hid it well, but Gabriel still had a long way to go on his recovery. Was he up to the coming battle? Did they have any other options if he wasn't?

Cas walked over to stand at Dean's side. "My brother will take care of yours. You don't need to worry on that score."

Dean shook his head. "I'm not. I'm just thinking about how much my brother looks after yours."

"That too," Cas said in agreement, amused fondness in his tone.

Dean started for his own bedroom. The three of them were going to cross over the Rift in the morning, and Dean wanted to at least try to get some sleep. However, before he could move more than a step, Cas reached out a hand to stop him.

Dean turned, raising a questioning eyebrow. "What's up?"

"Dean, we need to talk."

Oh shit. Hadn't anyone ever told the angel that those four words were the most feared in the English language? Especially to guys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Tumblr handles for TheDogSled and Archangelgabriellives were used with permission. ;)


	3. Chapter 3

Sam guided Gabriel down the hall to their shared bedroom. As soon as Sam closed the door to their room, Gabriel sat down heavily on the bed, shedding his fragile mask of confidence and wellness. Sam knew the angel was terrified about the upcoming confrontation with Lucifer, and he got it, to a point. Lucifer had proven himself capable of killing his once-beloved brother. The fact that Gabriel had faked his own death didn't change that. However, Sam had been sensing for some time that Gabriel's fears ran deeper than that. He decided to get at the issue by the back door.

"You know you don't have to keep up the mask all the time, don't you? Cas sees through it. So does Dean. Jack didn't know you from before, and he'll accept you, whoever you are."

Gabriel was holding his head in his hands and didn't look up to speak. "I'm leading this thing, Sam. A leader has to hold something back, not show how fucking scared he is all the time."

A burst of that fear traveled down the link that bound Sam and Gabriel. It was more than the archangel usually let through, which told Sam how affected his lover was by what was to come. In the six months they had been bonded, each had learned how to keep some measure of privacy. Gabriel had greater control over what he sent and received, but even Sam had learned to put up some shields, both for privacy and to keep distractions to a minimum. They had learned that the hard way the first time Sam had been away on a hunting trip and nearly got killed when distracted by the backlash from one of Gabriel's nightmares.

Sam sighed as he sat down on the bed, grabbed the angel by the shoulders and manhandled him into position, Sam leaning against the headboard, Gabriel cradled against his chest. This was the position they had been in when they first realized what they meant to each other, and they defaulted to it under stress. Oddly enough, they usually didn't switch positions, even when Sam was the one in need of comfort. He was starting to understand Dean better and how his brother had managed his fears through taking care of Sammy. Taking care of Gabriel, odd though that was considering the marked difference in both age and power level, always calmed Sam.

"So talk to me. I'm in your emotions, so I know how scared you are. What I don't understand is why."

Gabriel didn't answer for a moment, and Sam could feel him struggling for words. One of the effects of Asmodeus' torture had been to damage Gabriel's ability to speak. Castiel had healed much of the damage on Gabriel's first, and to date only, trip to Apocalypse World, but when under stress, he still sometimes had difficulty with language.

Finally, Gabriel gave up and spoke mind-to-mind, which was always easier for him. _What I can't understand is why you aren't more terrified._

Sam shrugged. "I've made my peace with it. You were right. It's the only way, so worrying about it doesn't do me any good. And--" He ran a gentle hand down Gabriel's cheek. "I trust you to get me through it. Dean needed to hear that you wouldn't let Lucifer ride me. I didn't need to hear it because I have faith in you."

Faith was something Sam had thought he'd lost until Gabriel came along. He'd always had faith in his brother, but it was harder with others. As for Heaven? Well, being told that the angels considered him an abomination had pretty well destroyed that. Until Gabriel.

He intentionally let some of those thoughts through, and Gabriel let out a huff of laughter. _If there were more than ten angels in Heaven, I'd go there and kick their asses for that._

"I got over it," Sam said simply. He knew deflection when he heard it, but he also knew he could out wait the angel.

_All right. I'm still not convinced your faith is well placed, but you're right. I have no intention of letting Lucifer ride your ass. Actually, I'm quite sure right now that he can't, which is what my plan, such as it is, depends on._

Sam thought that through for a moment before saying, "Okay, you're going to have to explain that in a bit more detail."

Gabriel settled himself more comfortably against Sam's chest, acting for all the world like a very large cat. _It's the bond, Sam. The longer we are together, the more of my grace is interwoven in your very being._

"Wait? What?"

_That's what the bond is, Sam. It's a joining of my grace and your soul. Good news, bad news. It's happening faster than I'd anticipated, and I have to keep concealing it. That's part of why I'm recovering so slowly. Some of my grace is being siphoned off into you, and I need to keep updating the masking. Otherwise any angel or demon that sees you would know you are now somewhat more than human._

"And you were going to tell me this, when?" It wasn't that Sam minded, exactly. He just would have liked to have known. In addition, he had lots of questions.

Gabriel shifted against Sam's chest. _I was going to tell you about now. I didn't want you to start counting on it._

"Counting on what? You've done a terrible job so far explaining this."

Sighing, Gabriel answered, _You're not exactly pure human anymore, Sam._

"Yeah, I got that from what you said a bit ago. But if I’m not pure human anymore, then what am I? Not an angel, surely?"

_Not exactly. You see, when we started this, I didn't take into account that you're an archangel's vessel. You're designed to accept archangel grace--_

Sam started to get it. "And since you're an archangel--"

_Exactly. Except for the part about being Lucifer's vessel, you're pretty much perfectly designed for this. Don't suppose you've noticed any physical effects? Like being able to move faster? Suffering a bit less pain? That sort of thing?_

Sam thought back over their last few hunts. Now that Gabriel mentioned it, yes, he had been having an easier time. His reactions had been a bit sharper, and he'd shrugged off minor injuries more easily than he would have before. "Kind of, yes."

_Not sure how far this will go, but you’re harder to kill now, and you’ll fight more easily. Supernatural creatures will be surprised when you can fight above your weight class._

“That’s actually...really useful. I had no idea.”

_I thought you’d be tougher, but I hadn’t realized how you being a vessel was going to enhance the effect. By the way, I think I’ve managed to kick my little brother in the ass hard enough now that he’s finally going to bond Dean._

“What?” Sam nudged Gabriel, urging him to turn around. The angel complied and was met with an enthusiastic kiss.

After they broke apart, Gabriel asked, “Not that I minded, but what was that for?”

Sam was smiling. “Really? You have to ask?”

He noticed the twinkle in Gabriel’s honey-gold eyes and snorted. “You fraud.”

Gabriel shifted and settled himself against Sam’s chest again. “Well, I’m thinking this is going to be one of the toughest fights you’ve ever been up against, so a little extra boost on Dean-o is a good idea. I’ve been after Cas to do it for months now, but stubbornness must be his middle name. Besides, can’t send them off to battle with unresolved sexual tension. That never ends well.”

Sam laughed. “But how do you know Cas is doing it now?”

Gabriel chuckled. “Because as we left the War Room, I overheard Cas talking to Dean.” He shook his head. “I really need to have another talk with my baby bro.”

Sam felt amusement in their bond and knew he was supposed to ask, so he did, “Why’s that exactly?”

“Because someone decided to start the conversation by using the four most feared words in the English language.”

Sam laughed again. “No! He didn’t.”

“Yep, as we walked off, I heard Cas tell Dean that ‘We need to talk.’”

They both dissolved into laughter for a long moment, but there was too much at stake now for them to keep it up for long. After Sam got his breath back, he asked, “Okay, so the bond makes me tougher, but you also said it would mean Lucifer couldn’t ride me and that was part of your plan. What does that mean?”

Gabriel sobered and shifted back to mental speech. _What it means, Sam, is that you’re now mine and Lucifer can’t ever have you again._

Along with the words came an almost overwhelming sense of possessiveness and protectiveness. Sam had felt it before but never this strongly. He kissed the top of the angel’s head. “Okay, appreciated and good to know, but I’m assuming you mean the bond prevents it in some way?”

_Yes. My grace is now mixed in with your soul, and that will prevent him from inhabiting you. Oh, and by the way, you still have traces of his grace in you. I've tracked them all down and marked them, so I can destroy them with a thought._

Sam shivered. He'd no idea that he still carried bits of Lucifer inside him. Suddenly, he felt violated and dirty.

Gabriel turned in his arms and shifted so he could hold Sam close. "Don't. Just don't. I can feel what you're feeling now, and I'm sorry. I'd have gotten rid of them by now, but I can't yet. It's part of the plan. But I've isolated them within my grace. None of them are touching you. I promise."

Sam buried his head in Gabriel's chest and breathed in his sweet-spicy scent mixed with the faintest hint of rain. The scent of home and safety. Gabriel kissed the top of his head and ran one hand through Sam's long hair. _Comfort/love/reassurance/protectiveness_ flowed along the bond, and Sam let it soothe him. After a few minutes, he pulled back and sat up. "I think you'd better tell me all the details of this plan now."

Gabriel nodded and sat back, crossing his legs and taking Sam's hands in his. "All right. This is tricky to explain since you don't know how to manipulate grace, but let me see what I can do." He took a deep breath, and Sam could feel him organizing his thoughts. "Okay, it's like this. We need Lucifer to work with us, and I know my brother well enough to think of three ways this could go. If I were stronger, I _might_ be able to command him. However, Michael is really the only one who could do that. If I could manifest my wings, I might have been able to bluff him, but that's not an option right now."

Sam nodded. He already knew this because they had discussed this option early on, when they had hoped Gabriel would recover his power more quickly.

"Option number two, which honestly was never really an option at all, was to appeal to his better nature."

Sam barked out a harsh laugh. "This is the Devil we're talking about."

"Exactly." Sam felt such a mishmash of emotions through their bond that he could barely make them out. Brotherly love, anger, exasperation and several others. "Basically, Lucifer doesn't have a good nature to appeal to. He might love the Earth enough to want to see it preserved, but he still feels nothing but contempt for humanity, so he'd never help us for their sake. If Michael destroys this world, my many-times-damned brother will just jump ship for another world. So that option’s out."

"Okay," Sam agreed. "Which leaves what?"

Gabriel gave him a small smile. "If you can't convince someone or force someone, what does that leave?"

Sam raised an eyebrow, beginning to understand. "You trick them?"

Gabriel raised one hand, imitating a gun. "Bingo. It took me a while to work it out, but about four months ago, I figured it out. It's taken me this long to make it work."

"Make what work?"

With a deep sigh, Gabriel said, "What's something Lucifer wants badly enough to make him at least think about helping us?"

“Jack.” Sam’s flat voice made his feelings on the subject plain.

Gabriel nodded. “Yes, that’s one thing, and yes, it’s off the table. My brother doesn’t know it, but he doesn’t have a chance with Jack. I’ve made sure of that in my training with him.”

Sam’s eyes widened. “You mean you intentionally turned Jack against his father?”

Cold anger flowed through their bond. “Of course. I know my brother very well. Father of Lies is a well-deserved name. Jack is young and inexperienced. Lucifer would know exactly how to play on that. I don’t want him to suffer the guilt of listening to him, possibly going along with one of my brother’s schemes and then finding out later what was involved. If it means turning him against my brother in advance to spare him that, then it was a price I was willing to pay.”

Sometimes Sam forgot that Gabriel had been a Trickster, focused on justice using harsh and frequently cruel methods.

Anger merged into something softer. “I won’t apologize for what I am, Sam.”

“And I wouldn’t ask you to.” Sam sent love and acceptance back to Gabriel. “Forgive me for sometimes forgetting that side of you. It’s not what I see very often today.”

Gabriel squeezed Sam’s hands, still held within his own. “No, I suppose you don’t. Not much call for a Trickster lately.”

“Although I suspect that’s going to change in the next two phases.”

“Likely.”

Sam mentally shook himself back to the topic at hand. “So we’re both in agreement that Jack is not an option. What were you thinking about?”

Gabriel’s voice dropped to nearly a whisper. “What would my brother want as a way to get to his son without having to work very hard at it?”

Cold ran down Sam's spine. "Me. If he were occupying me, he could make Jack think I was supporting him having a relationship with Lucifer."

Gabriel nodded. "Right. If I know my brother, he won’t want to work hard at it. He’d see you as the easy road to his son. He doesn't know, however, that you're no longer available. I've masked our bond and even my very presence. When we meet up with him, we can let him think I've only recently come out of hiding. We get him off guard by pretending to convince him to join us. Then we let him make his demand for you. I know Lucifer. He'll get there eventually."

"That explains why you can't get rid of the traces of his grace in me. He'd sense that. But you're sure he can't possess me?"

Gabriel took Sam's hands back and squeezed them. "I promise." A growl entered his voice. "He won't ever hurt you again. You're mine now."

Sam nodded, starting to understand now why Gabriel had been so terrified. Sam didn't know all the details of the plan yet, but he understood it was risky, even if Gabriel were confident Lucifer couldn't possess Sam again.

"So what's the trick, and how does it help us?"

"This is where it gets hard to explain." Sam was grateful that Gabriel was using his voice for this. He could feel the strain on the angel, but he knew how serious Gabriel was when he struggled to use words under stress. "I've figured out how to set up a trap for him. He'll be vulnerable when he attempts to make the transition from his current vessel to you. He'll get bounced back, which he won't expect. That's also the moment that I will destroy the traces of his grace in you. All that should disorient him for a moment, which will allow me to activate the trap." He took a deep breath, and Sam could feel him organizing his thoughts again.

"The relationship between an angel and his vessel is two-way. The angel is the stronger partner, which is what allows him to get and maintain control. However, in theory, the human partner could take over, but practically speaking, that would never happen."

"Which is why you had trouble with your vessel last year," Sam said.

When Gabriel had been rescued from Asmodeus, his vessel had been driven insane by the torture they'd suffered, and Gabriel had been so weak that he could barely remain in his vessel. When he'd used most of his power to save Sam, Dean, Ketch and AU!Cas from execution by human rebels, he'd almost been thrown out of his vessel. Only the timely intervention by Castiel had saved him.

Gabriel's expression grew sad. He and his vessel, Joseph, had been together for thousands of years, and he'd had to watch him die. Sam knew he still felt the loss.

"Yes. I was so weak then that Joseph was able to take control and throw me out." He paused for a moment, and when he continued, his tone was back to matter-of-fact. "It's a vulnerability we have. Again, in practical terms, it never becomes a problem, but we can take advantage of it here. I started with Kali's blood binding spell, reverse-engineered it to apply it to grace and added a few optional upgrades."

Sam could feel Gabriel's pride in having worked it all out, and he smiled in spite of his growing anxiety about the entire situation. "So, in practical terms, what does it do?"

"It binds Lucifer to you, not within you, mind you. He'll get bounced back to his current vessel, but he'll be trapped there until we let him go. In addition, playing on his vulnerability to control by his vessel, you'll be able to command him."

Okay, that was not what he had been expecting, and, of course, he had more questions. "But I thought I'm not his vessel anymore. So how does that work?"

Gabriel was shaking his head as Sam spoke. "Oh, you're still his true vessel. Our bond didn't change that. It just blocks him from ever using you. Basically, you have all the power here."

Sam thought about that for a moment. It wasn't an entirely comfortable thought, but, considering their options, or rather their lack, he didn't know that they had a choice. "Define me being able to command him."

Gabriel held up a cautionary hand. “Don’t get too excited about it. It’s limited control. Basically, he can’t get more than about a mile from you, kind of like Kali’s blood bond. You can compel him to not hurt anyone you don’t want him to, so all of our allies will be safe around him.” He hesitated. “Well, safeish. There aren’t any absolutes here. He is still an archangel.”

“Can I make him fight Michael?” Of everything, that was the most important, or all of this was for naught.

“Sort of,” was Gabriel’s response.

“Meaning what, exactly?” Sam wanted to know. This was starting to sound like a lot of risk for little gain.

“That you can compel him to stay within the field of combat, so he can’t say...wing out to the very edge of distance from you and avoid the entire battle. You can also compel him to explicitly protect a target or targets of your choice.”

Sam got it. “So I can’t make him fight Michael, but if I compel him to protect all of us, and we all happen to be in the middle of the fight, he ends up fighting Michael by default.”

Gabriel nodded. “Pretty much. Like I said, not a perfect solution, but it was the best I could come up with. Trust me, I worked every angle I could think about.”

And it completely explained Gabriel’s fear. If the people he loved most had to be in the middle of the battle, there was always a chance any or all of them could be collateral damage.

_Exactly_. The archangel’s mental voice was very small and uncertainty radiated down the link. Sam pulled him in close and held him tightly. Another thing he’d learned about Gabriel. Approval was important to him.

_Well done_ , Sam sent, along with as much pride and approval as he could muster. _The entire situation sucks, but you came up with something._

Tense muscles relaxed under Sam’s touch, and Gabriel sagged against his chest. _I wanted something better, but there just wasn’t anything. I can’t stand the thought of sending you into the middle of that, but there aren’t any other options._

“I understand.” He paused and added. “But I don’t think we should tell Dean until after we’ve got Lucifer.”

Gabriel shook his head. _My brother agrees with you, but I don’t._

“Why,” Sam asked with a questioning tilt of his head.

_Because all the secrecy you guys have with each other is part of why we keep ending up here. If you two would just talk to each other, several near apocalypses might have been averted._

Sam had to agree with him, in principle. But not this time.

Gabriel nodded, following his thoughts. _I know. You two outnumber me, and arguably you know Dean better than I do._

Sam was thinking. “Cas knows the plan with Lucifer, then.”

_Yes. He helped me figure out the details. My brother is surprisingly good with manipulating grace._

“Then ask him to let Dean know when he thinks it’s the right time. I trust Cas to judge that. If Dean asks why we didn’t tell him earlier, we let him think you didn’t tell me until after he left.”

Gabriel gave a rueful chuckle. “I’m being a bad influence on you.”

Sam leaned down to kiss him. After a moment, he broke the kiss and asked, “Are we quite done with planning? I had something more fun in mind before going to sleep.”

Gabriel kissed him back enthusiastically.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, finally back to Cas and Dean and what Cas wanted to talk to him about.

Dean followed Cas down the hall, somewhat surprised when the angel turned into Dean’s bedroom. Okay. This was getting weird. He was sure Cas hadn’t really meant anything by how he’d started this conversation, but still…

As soon as they were both inside, Cas closed the door, making Dean feel somewhat trapped. “What’s on your mind, Cas?” Dean said as he crossed the room to settle on his bed.

Cas stood by the door, eyes cast down to the floor. Dean almost expected him to rub his foot back and forth just like a little kid. He shook his head in exasperation. “Come over here and sit, man.”

Cas sat on the bed, a careful foot of distance between them. Dean waited him out, and finally, Cas said, “I forgive you for taking the Mark of Cain.”

Relief so strong it almost staggered him flowed through Dean. It had been years, and he had given up on hearing those words. In fact, they were so unexpected that he couldn’t say anything right away.

Cas frowned, and started to speak, but Dean managed to find a few words, not that they were the right words. “Why’d you scare me so much for Christ’s sake?”

Not even close to what he’d wanted to say, but before he could try to take them back, Cas gave his trademark head tilt and asked, “What do you mean?”

Now he was stuck. “Starting the conversation with ‘we need to talk.’”

A frown sidled up next to the confused head tilt. “I don’t understand. That’s what I wanted to have happen.”

Dean barely stopped himself from throwing his hands up in frustration. Hoping he could get through this quickly, he said, “Look, Cas. Every male is...I don’t know...genetically conditioned to fear those words. Chicks say them when there’s a problem, but guys never know if it’s a minor problem like leaving the cap off the toothpaste, a medium problem like, ‘Honey, we’re replacing all the vinyl blinds with frilly pink curtains’ or major league problem like, ‘Honey, I think we should start seeing other people.’”

Of course that did nothing to clear it up for Cas, so Dean sighed and added, “Don’t worry about it, man. Just don’t use those words again.”

“All right. Dean.”

Dean gave himself a mental shake and managed to say, “Look, sorry. I guess I’d figured you’d never say that, so when you did, all I could do was mess it up. Can we try that again?”

“Of course. Dean, I forgive you for taking on the Mark of Cain.”

Oh, that sounded so good that Dean briefly considered messing up again, so just so they could start over, and Cas would say those words again. However, his good sense intruded, and, instead, he said, “I can’t even begin to tell you how long I’ve been wanting to hear you say that, but I have to ask. Why now?”

“Gabriel has been metaphorically ‘kicking my ass’ for months to say it. Earlier, he told me the kicking would stop being metaphorical.”

Dean just blinked, that being pretty much the last reason he’d expected. “Gabriel wanted you to forgive me?”

“Yes.”

Dean hated it when Cas reverted to one word answers. He scratched his head, buying himself a moment to think and, when Cas didn’t elaborate further, he asked, “Okay, why? And no more one word answers.”

Cas didn’t answer for a long moment. Finally, he said, his voice very small, “My brother thinks I should bond you as he has done with Sam. Actually, he thinks I should have offered to do it months ago.”

Now Dean was even more confused. Not that he hadn’t thought about what it would be like to have his own bonded angel. He’d been more than a bit envious of Sam, but again, why would Gabriel want this to happen? He asked Cas as much.

Cas sighed. “Has Sam spoken to you much about it?”

Dean frantically waved a hand. “No, man. He hasn’t. That definitely falls under the category of _things you don’t want to know about your brother_!”

Shaking his head, Cas said, “Not the intimate details. That’s not what I mean.” He frowned and added, “But perhaps Gabriel has not spoken of that with him.”

Dean loved his angel. He really did, but this mysterious not-really-saying-things-clearly crap was irritating him. “Cas! For fuck’s sake, just say it straight up, okay? Stop hinting around.”

“All right. The angel bond gives the non-angel some benefits. Increased strength, resistance to damage and things like that.”

Dean was delighted. “You mean Sammy’s kind of like a superhero right now?” That certainly lessened some of Dean’s worry. He knew Gabriel would do his best to protect Sam, but if there were extra powers involved, that was all to the good.

Then he got what Cas was really saying.

“Wait? You mean if you bond me that I get superpowers too? Awesome!”

Belatedly, he realized he probably should have been thinking about the other effects of bonding, like how it was a deep expression of love or something like that. But super powers!

Fortunately, Cas knew his human well, and he didn’t seem upset. On the contrary, he was giving Dean one of his particularly fond looks. “Yes, Dean. Sam is more resilient to damage, as would you be if you accepted the bond.”

Even through the amusement, Dean could detect a hint of nerves. Okay, he was not handling this well. He pushed aside thoughts of superpowers. “Sorry, buddy. I’m being a dick, and I’ll stop. You’re trying to have a serious conversation, and I’m messing it up. I don’t know much about this bond thing, but I do know that I love you. I’m glad you seem willing to forgive me, and I’ll listen while you beat stuff into my thick skull.”

He really wanted to reach out, pull Cas in close, but he wasn’t sure he was allowed to. Cas had forgiven him, but was that just because he wanted to do something to make Dean tougher, or did this mean the two of them had a chance at a relationship again?

Cas smiled at him, reached out and pulled Dean into an embrace. Dean rested his head on Cas’ chest and just enjoyed feeling the angel’s heat and inhaling the slight hint of ozone which always accompanied him. “I’m sorry, Dean. I never meant to hurt you for this long.”

Dean pulled back just enough to look at Cas’ blue eyes. “That’s enough with the sorries. I messed up too. I should have talked to you before taking the Mark of Cain. I was so used to making decisions on my own that it never even occurred to me to discuss it with you. That was my mistake. I can’t promise I’ll never make it again, but I’ll do my best.”

“Thank you, Dean.”

“So tell me about this bond thing. What it does and all that.”

Cas explained, and the more Dean heard, the more he wanted it. Sensing each other’s emotions had its down sides, but he was honest enough to realize it might head off some potential problems. Telepathic communication just sounded cool. Super powers were still awesome, even if they weren’t full-blown super powers. Still, any advantage in a hunt was worth considering, especially with what they were about to face. Having Cas’ grace in him was nothing new. They’d used that several years ago to get his angel powers back.

When Cas was done, he looked at Dean, blue eyes troubled but hopeful.

“Do you have any idea how much I want to kiss you right now, Cas?” Dean asked.

The smile which broke out over the angel’s face was almost blinding. “So you forgive me for taking so long to say this?”

“Only if you’ll let me kiss you.” Dean was nothing if not persistent.

Cas did better than “let.” He surged forward and captured Dean’s lips with his own. Dean moaned in appreciation. It had been years, but he’d never forgotten what Cas tasted and felt like. He placed both of his hands on either side of Cas’ face and did his best to tell Cas how much he’d missed this.

Eventually, Dean needed air, and he broke the kiss but left one of his hands on the angel’s face. “Just one more question.”

Cas leaned into Dean’s touch and said, “Of course.”

“You said Gabriel wanted you to do this months ago. I mean, I would have loved that for obvious reasons, but it sounded like there was an actual reason for it.”

Cas’ expression grew troubled again, and Dean ran his fingers along the lines of his face, smoothing and soothing them away. “Because it takes time for the bond to...grow...I think is the way to describe it. You will get some benefit immediately, but if we had done this months ago--”

“I’d be even stronger,” Dean finished.

“Yes.” Cas sounded as if he expected Dean to be angry now that he knew the whole of it.

Dean shook his head, not stopping the gentle movement of his finger. “It’s okay, Cas. I’ve been hunting all my life as a normal human. If I can have a bit more of an edge, I’ll take it but not count on it.” He paused, struggling a little bit with the rest of what he wanted to say. “Look, I kind of want the bond for other reasons. I mean, if you’ll have me.”

Cas smiled again, joy suffusing his face. “Oh, Dean. I never stopped wanting you. I just...let my anger get in the way, and I won’t do that again.”

Dean took a deep breath. “Okay, then. How do we do this?”

Cas’ face grew positively wicked. “Well, sex rituals do have a great deal of power.”

Dean laughed at the same time as desire rose within him. He certainly remembered the last time they’d done a “sex ritual,” when they gave Cas his angel powers back.

He pulled the angel close and kissed him again. “Let’s do this,” he murmured against Cas’ lips.

***

When Dean awoke, he smiled. It had been years since he’d awakened beside his angel, but he’d never forgotten how much he enjoyed it. Cas was curled around him, one arm thrown across his chest, holding him close. An erection pressed against the small of his back, and that reminded Dean of what they had done last night. While sex with Cas had always been amazing, that had been… Well, Dean wasn’t certain he had the words for it, so he just lay there a moment, remembering.

Eventually, he decided to poke at the bond. Last night, they had shared emotions, but Cas had basically controlled the flow. This morning, Dean wanted to see what he could do on his own.

He closed his eyes and tried to reach for Cas. It took a few tries, but he finally thought he had it. Drowsy contentment filled him.

_I don’t really sleep, you know, Dean. So “drowsy” isn’t the most precise word._

“When I want precision, I’ll ask for it. Drowsy seemed right to me.”

_Whatever you wish, my bond mate._

Oh, now Dean definitely liked the sound of that. Bond mate.

_It’s what you are now._

A surge of emotion came along with that thought. _Love. Possessiveness. Protectiveness. Pride._

“Pride?” Dean hadn’t expected that. “I’ve done so much to disappoint you, Cas.”

_But you have done more to make me proud. Don’t forget. I fell for you. I learned of free will from you. I have tried to be an angel you could be proud of._

Dean turned in Cas’ embrace and put his arms around the angel, holding him close. “I’m always proud of you.”

“But I also have done things to disappoint you, Dean. My deal with Crowley. Taking on the souls from Purgatory.”

Dean put a finger on Cas’ lips, silencing him. “Water under the bridge.” He paused a moment and then added, “Bond mate.” He tried the words out, seeing how they felt, deciding they felt as good to say as they did to hear.

Love surged down their bond, and Cas kissed him.

One kiss led to another and another and might have led to further activities if a sudden yell from down the hall hadn’t interrupted them. Neither Cas nor Dean felt any alarm. They’d both heard Gabriel’s cries of pleasure often enough to recognize the sound instantly.

“You really do need to upgrade the sound proofing, Dean.”

Sighing, Dean said, “As soon as this is over.”

Another yell sounded down the hallway. Sam this time.

“I believe we were the ones responsible for the noise last night. Perhaps it’s only fair.”

Dean put his hands over his ears. “But that’s your brother fucking my brother. A man isn’t supposed to hear that.”

Suddenly, he frowned, feeling something from Cas. He wasn’t sure what it meant. “What?”

Caution flowed down the bond. “I’m not sure it’s my place to say.”

However, Dean was able to read the basic idea. “You mean they haven’t…yet?”

Cas sighed and shook his head. “No. My brother is still too traumatized to allow it. It frustrates him. He wants to, but he can’t.”

While this was more information than Dean really wanted to know about his brother and his archangel lover, it still sucked for both of them. “I’m sorry. Anything that can help?”

“Time, I am afraid.”

Dean only hoped there would be time. The battles they were facing would be difficult, and there was always the chance some of them wouldn't come back alive.

_No thoughts of that. Not now. All will be well._

Dean gave Cas one last kiss and then moved to get up. “Well, the mood’s broken for me, so I might as well get up.”

Another scream sounded from down the hall.

“I’ll go fix breakfast. They’ll be hungry after all that.”

“They are both nervous about seeking Lucifer. I don’t begrudge them some pleasure before they begin that quest.”

Dean rummaged around on the floor, looking for where he’d thrown his jeans last night. “I don’t begrudge them it either. I just wish they weren’t so damned _loud_ about it.”

Cas chuckled as he climbed out of bed and found Dean’s jeans on his side of the bed. He tossed them to his lover, got dressed himself, and they both went into the kitchen to start breakfast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because, yes, Dean would think first about superpowers. You know he would! ;)
> 
> And did you notice the new relationship tag?


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who were waiting for them, Lex and Griff (especially Griff) finally make an appearance!

Unaware he was echoing Dean’s thoughts from the day before, Griff was glad to be back at the Bunker. He realized he was starting to think of it as home now. He was tired but satisfied. He and Lex had completed their first solo hunt with few problems.

Lex followed him down the stairs, looking as tired as Griff felt. Digging up a grave to salt and burn bones was exhausting, especially when the hard labor was followed by a seven hour drive. He and Lex had traded off, but Griff never slept well after a hunt, and he’d done little more than doze.

As they got to the bottom of the stairs, Griff caught a whiff of cooking eggs.

“Dean’s cooking egg sandwiches,” Lex said, his voice sounding like it had more energy than it did several minutes ago as they were unloading their gear from Lex’s Honda Civic. Dean still teased them about hunting in a sensible commuter car.

“Smells like it,” Griff agreed. “It is one of the nicer things about coming back here.”

“Truth,” Lex said.

They both walked a little faster to their respective rooms to drop off their gear. Griff waited while Lex plugged his laptop in to charge, and they walked together to the kitchen where Dean was finishing sliding a sandwich onto a plate. Cas was sitting at the table, nursing a cup of coffee.

Griff found it amusing that angels drank coffee.

“Welcome back,” Dean said as he cracked more eggs into the skillet. “How’d it go?”

Cas got up and poured them both cups of coffee. Both men accepted them eagerly. Griff pretended not to notice when Lex took out a bottle of Excedrin Migraine and downed six of them with his coffee.

“Salt and burn, just like you said, Dean,” Griff answered. “Took us a while to find which co-ed from two decades ago was the actual ghost, but once Lex extrapolated that from news reports, it was straightforward after that.”

Twenty years ago, a serial killer had killed several female students at South Dakota State University. However, only one of them had become a restless spirit, and Lex had finally tracked down which student had reasons not to move on--a disabled brother who still lived in town and had been suffering some bullying.

“That can be the tough part,” Dean agreed. “Especially when there had been multiple deaths in a short period of time. Nice job, you two.”

“Thanks,” Lex said, pouring himself another cup of coffee. Griff decided to stop at one. He wanted to get to sleep after breakfast, not stay awake and jittery all day.

“Good thing you two are basically trained,” Dean added.

Griff suppressed a groan, knowing what that had to mean.

“We’re starting Phase Two,” Dean said.

Yep, that had been what Griff had suspected.

“When do you go over?” Lex asked.

“This morning,” Dean answered. “And Griff, you’re with me and Cas.”

So much for sleep.

Cas approached him. “I can help with your fatigue, if you’d like.”

Griff glanced at Lex, and both men shrugged. “Thanks, Cas,” Griff said.

Cas reached out a hand, touched his forehead, and Griff felt as if he’d had several good night’s sleep in a row. Cas did the same to Lex, and Griff watched his partner perk up and stand up straighter.

“What do you want me to do?” Lex asked.

“Drive to Sioux Falls to meet with Jody Mills,” Dean said. “She’s the sheriff we’ve told you about.”

Griff and Lex exchanged looks and smiles again, the mention of “sheriff” bringing up memories of Deputy Bill Koehler from the other universe.

“She’s activating the Hunter network to keep an eye open for signs that Michael has crossed over.”

Lex nodded. “I can help with that. Set up some bots to monitor both news reports and the various law enforcement network.”

“That’s what we thought,” Dean said. He gave both Griff and Lex their breakfast. Cas left the room and came back a few minutes later. Griff was just finishing his sandwich when Cas walked over and handed him a silver blade. Griff looked at it in surprise. “An angel blade?”

Lex was grinning at him.

Cas nodded. “You’ll need it over there, and you’ve proven yourself able to use one.”

Griff picked up the blade. He’d trained with wooden replicas, and a few times with the real thing, but this was the first time he’d been given one of his own. It felt good in his hand. “Thank you,” he said.

“You’re welcome,” Cas said.

Just then Gabriel and Sam came into the kitchen. Sam brightened immediately at the sight of food, but the archangel went straight for the coffee pot. He poured himself a mug and topped it off with his usual amount of sugar. Dean had told him once that Gabriel used to eat a lot more candy, and, considering how much sugar he used in his coffee, Griff thought he was glad he’d missed those days.

As soon as he’d swallowed half the mug of coffee, Gabriel seemed to notice something. A half smile appeared on his face. “Finally, Castiel.”

Cas looked up from where he was slicing fruit. He looked slightly embarrassed but nodded. “You were right. It was time.”

“Looks like a good bond,” was all Gabriel said as he moved to the table. Instead of taking his own seat, he pushed between Sam and the table and sat down in front of his own bond mate. Sam was grinning at his brother and wrapped an arm around his angel. “Cas bonded you?”

Dean sighed and went back to cracking eggs into the pan. “Yes, and we’re not talking about it.”

“That explains the noise last night,” his brother said, not sounding at all displeased.

“You two made up for it this morning,” Dean said.

Sam laughed, but it cut off. Griff wondered what that was about. He knew Sam and Gabriel communicated telepathically, but he still wasn’t quite sure how that worked. And now Cas had bonded Dean? He hadn’t seen that coming. Just him, Lex and Jack left not paired up. He wondered if Cas and Dean would be as physically affectionate as Sam and Gabriel were. He barely ever saw those two not touching in some way. He gave a mental shrug. One straight guy surrounded by all the gay. Good thing he wasn’t bothered by it.

What did bother him, though, was how Gabriel was only picking at his food. That wasn’t like him at all. He usually made a production out of enjoying Dean’s cooking. Then he noticed how Sam’s left hand moved almost constantly along Gabriel’s arm in soothing motions which were clearly not having much effect.

What did that all mean? Did he have the right to ask? He caught Lex’s eye, and made a tiny motion in Gabriel’s direction. Lex followed the motion, frowned and nodded. Okay, he thought it was weird too.

Apparently they weren’t the only ones. With a shrug, Dean stood up and went back to the cupboards, where Griff watched him take down flour, oil and baking soda. He cracked an egg into a bowl, added the other ingredients plus a double handful of dark chocolate baking discs and mixed them thoroughly.

Sam had noticed what he was doing, and his eyes were bright. “Chocolate chip pancakes, Dean?”

Gabriel’s head came up a bit, but it was nothing like his usual reaction to pancakes.

Dean dropped batter on the griddle, and the smell of cooking pancakes filled the kitchen. Even Cas was looking up in interest now. Dean didn’t make these often. Regular pancakes, yes, but not ones with chocolate disks. Griff could only remember one other time he’d made them. His mouth watered. They were good.

Dean shook the spatula at all of them. “These aren’t for you. They’re for Gabe.”

The archangel raised his head all the way now, puzzlement in his eyes. “Why?” he asked.

Dean lifted one corner of the pancake, nodded in apparent satisfaction and flipped it. “Because there’s something bothering all of you, and Gabe is the only one who wants to tell me. I’m assuming you two talked him out of it.”

Oh. Now this would be interesting. Griff concentrated on being very still and fading into the background. The Winchesters didn’t always have such frank discussions around him and Lex. He wondered where this was going.

***

Dean occasionally wondered if his family really thought he was that dense. He’d been a Hunter longer than any of them, but they all seemed to forget it at times.

Three sets of eyes regarded him with surprise. Griff and Lex both looked like they were trying to disappear, but Dean was fine with them listening. It probably affected them too.

Dean shook his head. “Oh, come on. I’ve been interviewing people for most of my adult life and then some. I can read body language, or do you all forget that?”

Sam suddenly found something fascinating on the table in front of him. Cas projected uncertainty mixed with apology down their bond. Gabriel gave him a quick nod of approval.

Dean flipped a pancake onto a plate and set it in front of the archangel. He started to reach for the syrup, but a quiet finger snap stopped him. Right, Gabriel could fetch his own syrup.

“So now that I’ve made it obvious that I know you’re all keeping something from me, are you going to tell me?”

“How’d you know?” Sam asked.

Dean rolled his eyes as he poured more batter onto the skillet. “How could I not know is the better question.” He started with Gabriel. “From the sounds of it, you made him come at least twice this morning, but he’s barely eating, even the pancake I made especially for him.”

He noticed Griff and Lex both wince at the bald statement. As if they hadn’t heard the angel’s very loud noises before.

Gabriel made what looked like a gallant effort to appear as if he was enjoying his food.

Dean pointed at Cas with the spatula. “Now that I have this shiny new bond thing, I can feel there’s something bothering you, and I don’t know how I know, but it involves your brother and me somehow.”

Finally, he pointed at Sam. “And Gabe tried to get you to do something a couple of minutes ago, and you didn’t want to. Sounds to me like you’re all in on something, and it makes sense that it’d be something you don’t want to tell me because you think I’ll flip out. Hundred bucks says it’s something to do with Sam and Lucifer. Am I right?”

Gabriel started to say something, but Sam stopped him. “Okay, you were right. You don’t need to say ‘I told you so.’”

Gabriel said nothing, but his shoulders relaxed, and he did start to eat with a bit more enjoyment.

Dean nodded to himself. He’d made his point. They’d tell him now.

Griff stood up to get more coffee, and Dean knew he’d read the room the same way. He’d learned to trust the former FBI agent’s instincts. And he still chuckled over his chiding of Sam’s hair length.

Approval and pride flowed down his bond with Cas, who said, “You’ll explain it best, brother.”

Gabriel frowned and finished his pancake. “Only if Dean gives me another of those. They’re particularly good today.”

Dean grinned and walked over to slide two more onto his plate. Sam gave him a questioning look, but Dean shook his head. “Nope. These are archangel only pancakes today.”

Sam didn’t look put out. He merely smiled and wrapped his arm around Gabriel.

“And no stealing from him. I mean it, Sammy.”

That got a full grin from Gabriel. “He’s on to you, Sammich.”

Sam rolled his eyes, as much at the nickname as the failed attempt to charm his way into food.

Dean grinned back at the archangel. In their first couple of months together, Gabriel had tested so many nicknames for Sam that Dean had lost count. His brother had vetoed most of them, but had finally accepted two: Sammich and Samsquatch.

Dean had considered trying them himself but always stopped, sticking with his usual “Sammy,” which Gabriel was not allowed to use. Both Sam and Dean had made that clear the first time he’d tried.

As soon as Gabriel finished all the pancakes, he sighed, pushed away his plate, settled more comfortably against Sam and explained his plan for Lucifer. Dean didn’t interrupt him, waiting until he’d finished to say anything. Cas’ presence was warm and comforting throughout the explanation.

When Gabriel had finished, Dean waited a moment, gathering his thoughts before speaking. No one pushed him. Finally, he said, “You’re right. I don’t like it. But Gabe was right. Keeping stuff from each other, Sammy, is what gets us into trouble.” He looked over at his angel. “I said that to Cas last night. If I had talked to him before taking the Mark of Cain, we wouldn’t have been apart this long.” He gave his brother a long look. “We’ve got to stop this, Sam.”

His brother nodded. “You’re right. Gabe said as much to me last night, and I should have listened to him.”

Gabriel spoke. “We knew you wouldn’t like it, but will you let us try?”

Instead of answering, Dean turned to Cas. “I assume you’ve been in on this for a while now?”

Cas nodded. “I worked with my brother on the grace binding.”

“So you don’t see any other possibilities?” He wondered if Gabriel would bristle at him asking Cas, but his angel was the one he trusted the most. Gabriel was fitting in well, but Dean had known Cas longer. Well, technically, he had known Gabriel longer, but he’d spent more time with Cas.

“I do not. If I did, I would have said as much to my brother, and we would have worked on that.”

Dean nodded. “That’s what I thought.” Now he turned to Gabriel. “Okay, you’ve said you won’t ever let Lucifer ride my brother, and I believe you.” A sudden thought occurred to him, and he asked Cas, “Does my bond with you prevent Michael from occupying me?”

Sam sat up straighter at that, but both Gabriel and Cas shook their heads in unison. Gabriel answered. “No. I’m an archangel, so my bond protects Sam against Lucifer. Cas is a seraph. His grace isn’t strong enough to block Michael.”

“Even though in many ways he’s stronger than you right now?” They all avoided directly mentioning Gabriel’s weakened state when possible, but at the moment, they needed to discuss every angle.

“It’s not a matter of strength, Dean,” Cas answered. “It’s the nature of angel grace vs. archangel. Gabriel doesn’t have his full power right now, but he is still an archangel.”

Dean nodded. That made sense to him. “Okay. I can see that. You really think this trap will work on Lucifer?”

Sam stirred against Gabriel’s back, but the archangel ran a hand down his arm. “It’s okay, Sam. He’s got the right to ask.” He held Dean’s eyes for several seconds before saying, “I can’t come up with a reason it won’t work. Which isn’t the same as a guarantee that it will.”

That was actually what Dean had wanted to hear. He wanted to be certain they were looking at this the right way. “What’s the contingency in case it doesn’t work?”

Gabriel gave him a small nod and smile of respect. “Good question. I’ll never trust my brother again, and I intend to be keeping an eye on him with all my senses. The second I think Luci’s a danger, I’m getting Sam out of there immediately.”

Dean didn’t like what he thought he heard in the angel’s tone. “Not just Sam. You get yourself out of there too.”

A twinkle appeared in Gabriel’s eyes. “You do care, Dean.”

“Of course I care. You’re bonded to my brother. I now have some idea of what that means, and I can imagine what it would do to him if something happened to you. See that it doesn’t.”

Gabriel gave him another nod.

“So you’re on board?” Sam asked.

Dean nodded. “I don’t have to like something to know it’s the thing to do. Yes. Give it a try. If it doesn’t work?” He shrugged. “Then we’ll come up with Plan B. That’s what we do.”

He turned to Griff and Lex who had been very quiet through the conversation so far. “Thoughts, you two?”

Griff shrugged. “You know my thoughts on the whole Lucifer thing.”

Griff had been quite outspoken about it when he’d arrived in this universe and been briefed. He thought trying to make a deal with the literal Devil was a terrible idea.

“But you’ve all convinced me that you know what you’re doing and have plans in case it goes wrong.” He glanced over at Gabriel and added, “And who am I to argue with an archangel?”

Gabriel nodded. “And don’t you forget it.”

Dean motioned to Lex. “And you?”

Lex shrugged in an uncanny imitation of Griff. “I’m just the hacker. You want me to ruin Lucifer’s credit history, I’ll do it. But deals with him? Above my paygrade. I’m with Griff. I’ll defer to the archangel.”

Before Dean could say anything else, Sam asked, “Where’s Jack?”

Both angels tilted their heads in a listening pose. After a moment, they both relaxed, and Gabriel said, “He’s in the Danger Room. Practicing.”

Dean stood up and went back to the stove. “Tell him to get his ass in here for breakfast.” He started fixing more bacon and eggs. “We need to get going soon. I don’t want to lose too much daylight on the other side.”

Cas said, “I’ve called him,” at the same time Gabriel asked, “How long do you want us to give you over there?”

Dean conferred briefly with Cas, more in impressions and images than actual words. He had to admit it was convenient. He answered at the same time Jack entered the kitchen. “A week should be good. We can give Jack some practice in that time and show him off to the angels, hopefully giving Castiel an opportunity to do some recruitment. Does that give you enough time to deal with Lucifer?”

Gabriel glanced at Sam, who nodded. Okay, maybe being bonded longer improved silent conversation.

Just then Jack’s eyes flicked between Dean and Cas. He smiled, the expression lighting up his entire face. “You bonded him, Cas.”

Dean rolled his eyes. “I swear if one more angel or angel hybrid says that today…”

Cas laughed. “We will be seeing Castiel soon, so I expect you’ll hear it at least more than one time today.”

Gabriel shook his head. “No, he won’t. Thank you, nephew. You reminded me that I need to show Cassie how to conceal the bond. Lucifer and Michael would do more than comment on it if they saw it.”

The mood in the room sobered immediately.

While Jack ate, Gabriel worked with his brother. By the time the Nephilim finished his breakfast, he was no longer able to see the bond between Cas and Dean.

“Thank you, brother,” Cas said when he had the concealment perfected.

“Not a problem. I should have thought of it as soon as I saw the bond between you.”

Dean handed his plate to Sam, who was doing the washing up. “Everyone who’s going to Apocalypse World get packed. Gabriel, you get everything ready for the ritual?”

Gabriel nodded and started for the library. Cas and Jack both headed for their rooms. Griff stayed just long enough to say something to Lex and then he followed them. Dean nodded in satisfaction.

“They all look to you, Dean,” Sam said.

Dean glanced over at his brother. “Sometimes I’m the right one to give direction. Sometimes it’s Cas, and I’m sure sometimes it’ll be Gabe. Depends on the circumstances.”

“Never me?” Sam asked with a frown.

Dean thought about that for a moment. His brother had a point. Part of changing things between them needed to involve adjusting that dynamic too. Dean had been the “older brother in charge” for too long. It was time to give some of that authority to Sam. “Anything involving Lucifer will be your call. No questions asked.”

Sam gave his brother a pleased nod as he put the last dish in the drainer. “Thank you.”

Dean walked over to give his brother a one-armed hug. “I’m sorry, Sammy. Like I said to Cas earlier, I can’t promise I won’t screw up and fall into old habits, but I’ll try not to.”

Sam returned the hug. “Deal.”

Just then Gabriel returned from the library. His eyes flicked to the brothers’ arms around each other. He stiffened for a moment before relaxing and looking slightly abashed at his instinctive reaction. Dean thought about teasing him about it but decided this wasn’t the place.

He let go of his brother. “Can I have your angel for a moment, Sam?”

“Sure,” was the easy response.

Dean started for his room, motioning Gabriel to follow him. The archangel shot a quick look at Sam, who nodded, before following.

As he walked, Dean searched the bond for Cas and found him in his room. While he never “slept” there, he did keep his gear and spare clothing there. Good, Dean wanted a moment alone with the archangel.

Curious, Gabriel followed Dean into his room. The Hunter started collecting his gear, talking while his hands moved automatically through his tasks. “I was serious about what I said out there, Gabe. You two are going to be up against Lucifer. I know how dangerous that is, but I don’t want you to sacrifice yourself for Sam.”

“Unless there’s no other option, you mean,” Gabriel said, sounding uncertain about the direction of the conversation.

Dean shook his head while he stuffed a spare pair of socks into his knapsack. “No, I mean that I want you to make other options.” He stopped packing, forcing Gabriel to meet his gaze for a moment. “I want both of you back, and not just because I know how important you are to Sam.” He paused, knowing what he wanted to say, but that didn’t make it easy. “Look, you’re family now. Adopted Winchester and all that.” He paused again at a sudden realization. “Damn if the adopted ones over here don’t outnumber the blood ones now.”

He noticed Gabriel’s wide eyes and chuckled. “Didn’t expect that, did you?’

Gabriel shook his head, uncharacteristically speechless.

“You’re good for Sam, good for Cas, great with Jack, and, if I’m being honest about it, you’re good for me as well. I know things have been...hard for you lately. I’ve been through my own time in Hell, maybe not the same as you and Sam, but I do get what you’re dealing with. Don’t let what happened destroy your sense of self-worth to the point where you think sacrificing yourself is the only option, okay?”

He stepped out from behind his bed, holding out his hand. Eyes dazed, Gabriel took it, and Dean pulled him into a careful hug, moving slowly so the angel didn’t feel trapped. He held Gabriel for a moment, feeling his vessel’s heart beating fast. After a moment, he relaxed into the embrace, heart rate slowing.

Dean held him long enough to make the point, marveling at how much leashed power was held in that small frame. Finally, he let the angel go.

Gabriel stepped back but gave him a nod. “Message received.”

Dean nodded. “Good.” He glanced around, checking that he had everything before shouldering his pack and heading for the door. “Let’s get this show rolling.”

By the time they got to the library, everyone but Griff was already there. Cas was dressed in his Apocalypse World uniform: jeans, t-shirt, bush jacket and hiking boots. Jack was similarly attired, including the boots. Gabriel had taken it upon himself to teach the young man to tie his shoes, saying something along the lines of, “No nephew of mine is going to wear velcro-fastened shoes forever.” Cas and Jack both bore heavy packs, filled with ammunition and easy-to-pack food. They always tried to take a supply of meal replacement bars and the like on their trips across the Rift. The rebels were always appreciative of the supplies. Dean also made a point of sending a decent amount of coffee. That stuff Bobby made was awful. A shotgun and machine pistol each completed the angelic load.

A moment later, Griff came in with his own pack, followed by Lex, who was frowning slightly. Dean guessed he wasn’t entirely happy to see his partner heading into a different universe without him. It would be the first time they’d been separated.

Dean hefted his own pack. He carried mostly weapons and ammunition, including a supply of holy oil. “Everyone ready to go?” he asked.

Jack, Griff and Cas all nodded, and Dean motioned to Gabriel to open the Rift. Having an archangel on their team was convenient.

Gabriel completed the ritual neatly, not needing to use a blade to release sufficient grace to power the spell. He merely breathed out just enough to make it work.

Dean gave his brother another hug while Gabriel hugged his nephew. “Remember what I taught you,” the archangel said.

“Pay attention to their eyes,” Jack said by way of acknowledgement.

“Exactly.”

Gabriel and Cas didn’t hug, but Dean could feel the exchange of grace that was their equivalent.

Lex and Griff hugged too.

Dean stepped toward the Rift and prepared to cross.

“I’ll open it again exactly one week from today,” Gabriel said. He added, “Take care.”

Dean nodded. “You too.” Then he crossed over, followed closely by Cas and then Jack and finally Griff.

As soon as they were on the other side, the Rift closed behind them. They were on their own for one week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of set up, guys. Now on to the action.


	6. Chapter 6

As soon as Dean and the others had crossed over, Sam watched Gabriel breathe in his grace, and the Rift closed. He didn’t get it all back, but he didn’t believe in wasting it. Besides, they were planning to leave soon to find Lucifer, and leaving the Rift open into the Bunker was a terrible idea.

As soon as he’d recovered his grace, Gabriel slumped. Sam moved over to grip him from behind and hold him close. “You okay?” the tall Hunter asked.

“Not really,” Gabriel answered. “But we don’t have much of a choice at this point. They are doing their part, so it’s time for us to do ours.”

“We can take a little while, if you need it,” Sam said. Gabriel said nothing, just projecting misery through their bond. So, Sam added, “Okay. Come on. I’m in the mood for some hot chocolate before we get going.” He took Gabriel’s hand and started leading him to the kitchen. The archangel managed a small chuckle and followed.

Hot chocolate was now a special thing between them. When Ketch had dropped the damaged angel at the bunker and then followed Dean to Apocalypse World, Sam had been the one left behind to help Gabriel. He’d fallen back on what he thought would bring out the Trickster in the badly frightened angel: hot chocolate. He’d been both pleased and surprised when it had worked, at least a little bit.

Gabriel sat at the table in the kitchen while Sam rustled up milk and chocolate. He made it the way Dean had taught him, melting chocolate disks and then mixing it in the warm milk. It took only a few minutes to prepare two mugs, with several marshmallows on top.

He brought them to the table and gave one to Gabriel. Sitting down opposite his angel, he asked, “What did my brother want to talk to you about?” He could have “listened in” over their link, but he’d sensed Dean had wanted privacy for the conversation.

Gabriel took a swallow of chocolate before answering. “Seems your brother has learned me a bit too well.”

Sam frowned. “What’s that mean?”

Gabriel shrugged and took another swallow. “I thought he was giving me the ‘save Sam at all costs’ speech. But I underestimated him. Instead he gave me the ‘under no circumstances sacrifice yourself for Sam’ speech. I hadn’t seen that one coming.”

Sam sensed that hadn’t been all of it, but he left it alone for a moment. Cupping his hands around his mug, enjoying the warmth, he said, “I’m not surprised. In some ways you and my brother are more alike than either of you would like to admit. Dean knows far too much about sacrificing himself for others.”

“He also knows too much about not feeling worthy of being saved,” Gabriel said, turning his mug in his hands.

Sam put aside his own mug and reached out to take Gabriel’s hands in his own, stopping the restless motion. “I’ve come to realize that yes, that is one way in which you two are too much alike.” He wanted to say more but wasn’t sure the message would be received.

So, he was surprised when Gabriel nodded and said, “Yeah, he kind of touched on that too. Admonished me to not let my lack of self-worth lead me to do something stupid.”

Sam wanted to comment on that, but Gabriel was letting just enough through their link to know there was more, so he remained silent and waited for the angel to be ready to say what else was on his mind.

Finally, Gabriel gave a deep sigh and said, “Dean also told me that I’m family. An adopted Winchester. He also pretty strongly implied that it wasn’t just because I’m bonded to you. I think he was trying to tell me that I’m family just because of who I am.”

Now Sam felt as if he could say what he’d been holding in. “I’m sure that’s exactly what he was trying to get across. My brother can be an ass and clueless as Hell sometimes, but one thing he understands is family. He lives ‘family don’t end in blood,’ and if Dean says you’re a Winchester, that means you’re all Winchester, unconditionally.”

Gabriel was shaking his head. “Yeah, I kind of got that, but I’m not sure I get why. I mean, it’s easier if we’re not at each others’ throats over you and all, but he said I’m good for him. And I don’t get that at all.”

“Did you ask him?”

“No. Should I have? This is Dean ‘let’s not talk about emotions’ Winchester.”

Sam laughed. “Oh, you still have a lot to learn about my brother. If he was talking that much, you could have asked. But in this case, I think I can answer for him.” Sam paused for a moment, knowing what his brother meant but still not quite sure how to put it into words. He thought about trying to get it through across the link, but he didn’t feel like that was the best way, either.

Finally, he settled for, “Dean feels things deeply, but he doesn’t always know how to talk about them.” Suddenly, he realized something. “Huh. I had this conversation with Cas a while back. When did I become the "Dean Whisperer" to angels?”

Gabriel gave him a small smile. “When you started hanging around with us. Cas and I both love humanity, and I understand you pretty well, having been around you for so long, but it doesn’t mean I always get you. And, well, have you seen my brother?”

Sam laughed. “Yeah, your brother is in a class all by himself sometimes. At least the two of them are talking again, which means Cas can get his explanations from the source.”

“But for the moment, I need to get them from you, so back to your explanation of Dean Winchester and his feelings.”

Sam nodded and continued. “Because he feels so strongly and doesn’t know how to talk about what he feels, he can come across as insensitive and unfeeling.” He put up a hand to forestall the inevitable comment. “Yes, he is also gifted at putting his foot in his mouth, but that’s because he forgets sometimes that everyone doesn’t tick the same way he does.”

Gabriel was giving him a puzzled look, and Sam knew he wasn’t following. “Give me a minute. You need the backstory for this to make sense.”

The angel nodded and drank more chocolate.

“When I say the two of you are a lot alike, it’s because you both value family so strongly. That’s how Dean picked up that you weren’t just a Trickster. And because of your family issues and other experiences, you both doubt yourself. Dean can look at you trying to pick up the pieces after Lucifer and Asmodeus, and he can see someone battling the same things he’s trying to deal with. So, you two have common ground, and Dean needs that, even if he won’t always admit it to himself.”

Gabriel nodded slowly, looking as if he was attempting to process all of that. “But what about you? You both share family issues and hellish experiences. Why does he need me?”

Sam gave him a sad smile. “Because he hasn’t been programmed since he was a child to protect you. Dean and I will always be close, even close in ways most people can’t understand, but we can’t help each other through this stuff. He can’t show enough vulnerability to me to allow me to help him, and, if I try to show some vulnerability to him, all his protective instincts activate, and he can’t be there to help me process.” Sam took Gabriel’s hands again. “That’s why I need you. You get what I’ve been through, and you’ll let me process it without trying to protect me.”

“Which is what you let me do also,” Gabriel said.

Sam nodded. “Exactly. But you and Dean can look at things from a different perspective, which can help both of you. And, once you both decide you trust each other enough, you can show vulnerability to each other. Healing comes from there.”

Gabriel tilted his head. “I can see that with me and Dean, although I’m not sure I’m ready to show him too much vulnerability yet. But then who gives you the different perspective that I can’t give you?”

Sam shrugged. “I’ve dealt with a lot of this. Oh, I still have more to process. Lots more, but I think I have a better framework to fit it into than either of you do.” He winked. “Dean thinks that I listen to music or news under my headphones in the car. I’ve never told him that what I really listen to is self-help books and podcasts. There’s a lot of helpful information out there about processing trauma.”

“Huh. I learn more about you every day.” He leaned forward to give Sam a quick kiss.

“It’s part of being together, I think,” Sam said. “Although admittedly, I don’t have a lot of experience in that area either. You are my second-longest relationship, and honestly, after everything I’ve been through, I’m not sure Jess really counts anymore.”

Gabriel finished his chocolate and stood up. “Good talk, but I think we have a Devil to find.”

Sam smiled and stood up also. “Things that define how weird is the Winchester life. I bet almost no one else ever says stuff like that.”

“It’s what you get for hanging with angels, Samsquatch.”

Sam gave him a half-hearted swat on his way to the sink. “Go pack, you. I’ll clean up our mugs and be along in a minute.”

“You know I could have those done in less than a second, right?”

“Yeah,” Sam said, “But sometimes I do like doing them the old-fashioned way.”

“To each his own,” Gabriel said on his way out of the kitchen. Sam watched him with a fond expression. Yeah, he was glad the archangel was in their life, and not just because of the bond. He was good to have just for who he was.

***

The four of them made good time to the rebel camp. The last time they had been here, Cas had worked with Castiel and the few angels he had working with him to upgrade the warding. It was now virtually invisible to all angels, except the few the warding had been tuned to. The rebels were grateful because it meant they didn’t have to move every couple of weeks.

Less than two hours after crossing the Rift, they arrived at the outskirts of the camp. Dean could hear word of their arrival spreading throughout.

“Something is wrong,” Cas said. “The mood of the camp is wrong.”

Dean had noticed it as well. There was a frenetic energy to the camp he didn’t like.

“What do you think is wrong?” Jack asked.

Griff touched his blade and then his gun. Dean recognized it, not as a nervous gesture, but as a professional doing one last check before action. He motioned to Griff in a _hold for now_ gesture. The ex-agent nodded back.

Dean stood a little taller, noticing three familiar figures approaching: his mom, Bobby and Ketch. They were accompanied by three angels he had seen before, but he couldn’t remember their names.

_Zadkiel, Hael and Ramiel_ , Cas helpfully supplied, along with a brief image to accompany each name.

“You’re sure no one can see or hear when you do that?” Dean asked, voice pitched for Cas’ hearing only.

“Positive,” Cas said.

Jack gave both of them curious looks, but his eyes widened and he gave a quick nod. “No. I can’t sense anything either.”

“Okay, then. Thanks for names and descriptions.”

Griff didn’t remove his attention from the approaching people. It suddenly occurred to Dean that he should have given the man pictures or something so he recognized the good guys.

As the three angels approached, Dean turned his attention from Griff to them. Zadkiel and Ramiel both inhabited male vessels, with Ramiel’s being several inches taller than the other, though both were shorter than Cas. Hael was in a female vessel, blond and leggy, exactly the sort of woman that would usually make Dean take a second look. However, he felt no particular attraction to her now. All three angels carried machine pistols and were wearing combat gear.

As Mary approached, she hailed them. “We’re glad to see you. There’s a problem.”

Her eyes flicked to Griff, and she gave Dean a questioning look, but he waved off the question for the moment because Bobby was speaking at the same time Cas spoke in Dean’s mind. Both of them were saying the same thing, which made for an odd sort of stereo.

According to the twin communications, Castiel was missing and had been for at least three days.

“What happened?” Dean asked Bobby as Jack went to Mary to give her a hug. He thought he overheard Jack mentioning who Griff was, which was good. Formal introductions could wait until later.

Ketch was the one who answered, however. “We aren’t entirely certain. He was on a mission with two other angels who were working with him. We had word of Michael’s forces moving in this direction and Castiel was checking it out. I was supposed to meet him at a rendezvous point three days ago with a small force. If the odds looked good, we were going to try a raid. Neither Castiel nor the other two angels showed.”

“This has been a fool’s errand from the beginning,” Ramiel said. “Michael is too strong. We should return to him and beg for forgiveness. It might not be too late.” He looked at the humans surrounding them as if evaluating them as possible peace offerings. Dean could see the other two were on the verge of agreeing.

Things were about to get out of hand unless someone did something. Fortunately, Dean was accustomed to getting disparate groups working together. He felt Cas about to speak, but he got in first. “All right. You three calm down. No one is going back to Michael.”

All three angels stiffened, and Dean felt Cas straighten beside him.

_Let me_ , Dean sent to his angel, hoping he was doing it right and that it would be received. _It will be easier if they see me as an authority equal to you._

_As you wish, Dean. I will follow your lead._

Huh, talking mind to mind was easier than he’d thought it would be. And awfully handy.

“First, what have you done to try to find Castiel?” Dean asked.

Fortunately, angels were accustomed to following orders, and they automatically answered Dean’s voice of authority. Zadkiel spoke. “We flew as close to Michael’s forces as we could without being discovered. We could not find Castiel nor any of the angels who had been with him.”

As the angel spoke, Dean noticed his mother quietly urging Bobby, Ketch and even Griff to step back, and all three men followed her. Ketch gave Dean a small nod as he stepped back, leaving only Dean, Cas and Jack within the sight line of the three angels.

Dean turned to Cas. “Can you search farther out or closer to Michael?”

Cas nodded. “I am a seraph. These three are not. Yes, I can search where they can not.”

“Good. Do what you can, Cas.”

The three angels were wearing identical looks as if they had all bitten into lemons. Okay, time to bring out the bigger gun.

“And if Cas can’t find them, we’ll let Jack have a go at it.”

The three angels all swiveled in unison to regard Jack, who didn’t look like much at the moment. Cas had advised him to shield his grace until the time was right to reveal him. Dean judged now was the time.

“Jack, show them what you are, preferably without bringing unwelcome attention our way.”

Cas paused before starting his search. A small smile played about his eyes and lips.

Jack seemed to consider for a moment and then nodded. With a flourish, he summoned his blade.

All three angels gasped, still in unison. Obviously, they recognized the blade.

“A Nephilim,” Hael said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Castiel spoke the truth.”

“Sister.” Cas’ voice carried the bark of command. “You doubted the word of Castiel?”

She turned to Cas, eyes showing as much confusion as an angel ever did. “No. Of course not. But...it was difficult to believe.”

“Sounds to me like you were doubting his word then,” Dean put in. “And did he tell you who was training Jack?”

Ramiel answered this time. “He said it was your world’s version of Gabriel.” His voice held a mixture of doubt and hope.

“He spoke the truth,” Jack said. “Gabriel is my uncle, and he has taught me to use my blade and grace. If Cas can’t find his counterpart, I can. Gabriel taught me to search far, without being detected.”

In that moment, Dean wished he had some way of speaking to Jack over angel radio. He was so proud of the kid.

_I passed on your sentiments,_ Cas said, equal pride in his mental voice.

“We good for the moment?” Dean asked.

All three angels gave him identical looks of confusion.

Cas sighed and explained. “Dean is asking if you will follow our lead, at least for the moment?”

The gaze of all three angels travelled from Cas to Jack and finally to Dean. They all nodded.

“Good,” Dean said. “Cas, you try find Castiel. I want to talk to Mom, Bobby and Ketch to catch up. Jack, you go ahead and move about the camp. I want everyone to have a chance to see you. If you can, perform some minor things with your grace. I want everyone to remember that we have a Nephilim of our own.” He regarded the three angels for a moment. “Go with him. Ask him what you want of his training or of our Gabriel.”

Cas nodded and settled himself on the ground, closing his eyes. Dean could feel him reach out with his grace. _Careful. I can feel that._

_It’s because of our bond. No one else can feel it. Let me do my job, Dean._

Dean smiled to himself. Indignation felt almost ticklish through their link.

Jack gathered the three angels around him and set off. Dean wasn’t worried about him. In the last six months, Gabriel had spent almost as much time teaching him diplomacy and how to deal with people as he had teaching him fighting skills.

Dean wandered over to the four waiting humans. “You still have the tent set up for planning?”

Mary nodded. “Yes. Nice job with the angels, by the way. I’m glad you came when you did. They were on the verge of leaving. One more day, and I think they would have been gone.”

“They just need someone to take charge. It’s an angel thing.”

“But not Cas or Castiel?” Bobby asked. “They seem to do okay without orders.”

“They’ve both learned about free will. The hard way. So has Gabriel, as you’ll see when you finally meet him.”

“How is he doing?” Ketch asked, as he always did when they travelled across the Rift. Apparently, rescuing the archangel had led to protectiveness on the part of the former British Man of Letters.

“Better,” Dean answered. “That’s part of what I wanted to fill you all in on.”

“We’re starting Phase Two, then,” Ketch said.

“Yes, and...well let’s just say you’re not going to be entirely happy about part of it.”

Everyone’s steps moved a bit quicker after that, and they soon arrived at the large tent where all the maps were laid out for ease of planning. Dean ducked through the entrance and immediately went to the map laid out in the middle of a wooden table. He frowned down at the green Army men being used as markers.

“Michael has moved his forces much closer,” he said. Assuming, the positioning of the markers was correct, Michael was barely twenty miles away.

“That’s what Castiel was going to check out,” Bobby said, moving up beside him.

Dean sent the image to Cas, hoping it would help his search. He felt a vague gratitude in return. The angel was concentrating hard.

“Before we get into any further planning, everyone, this is Griff. Griff, this is Mary, my mom, Bobby and Ketch. Yes, he looks like Gabriel. That’s because he’s one of Gabriel’s vessels from yet another universe.” He shook his head. “Need a damn scorecard by now.”

Griff gave a nod to each of them, and the three appeared to be sizing him up. Dean could tell from their expressions that they were all trying to process the “he’s one of Gabriel’s vessels” part. But there wasn’t time to go into a complete explanation now, so he settled for adding, “Griff’s new to hunting, but he’s ex-FBI and has good skills. We can fill you in on his story later.”

No one argued with him, although Mary and Bobby continued to give Griff quick looks out of the corners of their eyes. The looks didn’t seem to be bothering Griff. In fact, from the faint smile on his face, he appeared mildly amused.

With a mental shrug, Dean got back to planning. “We may need to move the camp,” he said, still frowning at the map. “We’re not ready to go up against this many angels. Not without Sam and Gabe.”

“And Lucifer?” Mary asked. All three had been briefed on the outline of the three phases. They all recognized the necessity of obtaining the aid of another archangel, although none of them liked it any more than Dean and the others.

“That’s what I needed to tell you about.” Dean laid out the basic outline of Gabriel’s plan.

They all reacted pretty much as Dean had anticipated.

Mary barked out a firm, “No,” backed up with every ounce of maternal protectiveness she had in her.

Bobby only said one word, “Idjits!” Followed by a heartfelt, “Balls!”

Ketch merely shook his head. “While I see where Gabriel is coming from, I’m surprised Sam is on board with this.”

“You all said pretty much what I said when they told me,” Griff said, his tone mild.

Mary gave Griff a look that held more warmth than it had a few moments earlier.

“Sam trusts Gabe,” was about all Dean could say in response to all that.

“But do you?” Mary asked.

“I do.” Dean surprised himself by the strength of his response. His mother gave him a _we’ll discuss this later_ look but let it go for the moment. “Phase Two requires Castiel,” Dean continued. “So the first thing we need is to find if he is still alive and how rescue him. I’m not sure any angel from our world will be able to recruit angels from this one.”

“In extremis, what about Gabriel?” Mary asked. “They seem to see him as something special.”

Dean shrugged. “He’s our emergency plan B, but I’m hoping we won’t need to use it.” Considering the shape Gabriel was in, Dean wasn’t sure he had the self-confidence needed to recruit. On the other hand, he had centuries of practice in bluffing, so perhaps he was selling the archangel short.

“We won’t need plan B,” came Cas’ voice from behind them. He was just entering the tent. Dean noticed that he looked tired but pleased.

“You found him?” Dean asked, although the question was for the benefit of the others in the tent. Dean could feel the triumph emanating down their bond.

“Yes, I did, and it is good I was able to. Jack would not have succeeded. My brother is under heavy warding. It was only my affinity with his grace that allowed me to locate him.”

Dean moved over to the map, and Bobby handed him a grease pencil. “Where is he, and what kind of shape is he in?”

Cas stood behind Dean and pointed to a location approximately 50 miles away, right in the middle of another large concentration of Army men. Dean marked it on the map, and Ketch gasped when he saw where it was. “That’s a suicide mission.”

Cas nodded. “That may be, but we need to attempt a rescue and soon. My brother has been tortured and is very weak. I doubt he will last much longer.”

Bobby was looking at the map. “We don’t know much about that area other than that there is a large concentration of angels there. Ketch is right. It’s suicide without more information.”

“Which is why we need someone to do recon,” Dean said. “Ketch, if one of the angels flies you in, think you’re up to getting in and out without being seen? Anything you can bring back will allow us to plan.”

Dean was glad to see the man consider the question for several moments before answering. He knew what he was asking, and he wanted to be certain Ketch had thought through the implications before answering. Finally, the Brit nodded, “I think so. Cas, can you give an angel coordinates right on the edge of the encampment? Assuming it is an encampment?”

“I can,” Cas said. “And yes, I believe it is an encampment. I sensed the grace of well over a hundred angels.”

Dean whistled. “What about Michael?”

Cas shook his head. “I do not believe Michael is present, at least not at the moment. I did not search for his grace, however. I do not want to take the chance of coming to his attention.”

“Okay, we’ll assume he is there and plan accordingly. If not, all to the good. Which of the three angels do you think is the best one to send?” Dean didn’t know them at all, but Cas had spent a bit of time with them on prior visits, and he hoped the angel had some idea of their capabilities.

Cas and Bobby both said “Hael,” at the same moment. Angel and man looked at each other in surprise. Bobby shrugged. “They’re in my camp. I’ve tried to spend a bit of time with them. She seems the more solid and sensible of the three.”

Dean glanced at Cas who nodded his agreement. “Bobby’s assessment agrees with mine. The other two are skittish. I think Hael would have stayed even if the other two had left.”

Dean glanced at Mary. “Anything to add, Mom, Griff?”

Griff shook his head and made a motion, deferring to Mary, who shook her head. “No. We need information before we can plan anything. Although we can give some thought to who should go on the mission, once we know what we’re up against.”

Both Dean and Cas said “Jack goes,” at the same time.

Bobby raised an eyebrow at that. “Are you sure? He’s our only Nephilim. Is this the right time to risk him?”

Dean motioned to Cas to answer. The angel said, “We don’t want to risk him, no, but this is why we brought him along. He needs practice under real combat conditions.”

“Which is why sending him on a raid or two makes sense,” Mary protested. “But this? He’s green and untried. Sending him is crazy.”

Dean shook his head. “That’s why we need to send him. He’s the strongest of us. From what Gabriel’s said, the kid could practically take down the entire place himself.”

Ketch’s eyes widened. “He’s that strong?”

“He is,” Cas said, no doubt in his tone. “I’ve been involved in his training. Like an archangel, angel blades can wound him, but not kill him. And only the strongest of angels will be able to hurt him.” He motioned outside. “Those three angels? None of them could even scratch him. I can. Castiel can. If he were overwhelmed by a squad of the strongest seraphs, perhaps they could wear him down to the point where he would need to retreat, but even they could not kill him. In this world, there are only two who can kill him.”

“Michael and the Nephilim,” Mary said, her tone grim.

“Exactly,” Cas said. “If either of them are present, we will be in trouble, but if they are not, this mission will be easier than Ketch is fearing.”

“That’s only one reason to send him,” Dean said.

Bobby was nodding, seeing where the younger Hunter was going. “You need a large crowd of angels to see him in action. You think some of them will jump ship if they see what we have on our side.”

“That’s Castiel’s hope,” Dean agreed. “If this goes as we hope, Jack may not have to fight his way through them. He may inspire them to join him. That’s why we have to send him on this mission. Phase Two requires it. I agree with Mom. I’d have rather started him out on a raid or two, but it looks like fate’s dictating otherwise.”

“And if Michael or the other Nephilim is present?” Griff asked.

“Then we grab Castiel and shag ass out of there as fast as we can,” Dean said. “It’s why we’re going to send in a small group. If all goes well, we won’t need a bigger force. If all goes to Hell, we won’t have time to get a larger group out.” He turned to Cas. “How long does Castiel have?”

“Less than 48 hours, I believe. We need to hurry.”

“Right,” Dean said. “Give Hael her orders. Ketch, how soon can you be ready to go?”

Ketch considered for a moment. “Fifteen minutes. Thirty tops.”

Dean nodded. “That’ll do. Get going and come back as quickly as you can.”

For some reason, the thought of Castiel injured and tortured bothered him almost as much as if it had been Cas. He didn’t want to leave the angel there any longer than he had to. And not just because Phase Two depended on him. He wanted the angel back for his own sake.


	7. Chapter 7

Sam was packed and back in the bunker’s main room when Gabriel emerged from the library. “Where do you want to attempt to locate him?”

Gabriel shrugged. “Might as well do it here. He knows the bunker’s location from when he was riding Cas. Makes me wonder why he’s given us so long to get ready. I’d almost expected him here before now.”

“I’m not arguing with him deciding to stay away.”

“Neither am I, but when my brother does something out of character, it does make me worry.”

“Good point,” Sam conceded. He shifted his pack from his shoulder to a nearby table. “What do you need? Is this a ritual thing or a grace thing?”

Gabriel let out a small snort of laughter. “Wow, way to trivialize what I’m about to do, Sammich. You hurt my ego.”

Sam gave him an easy grin. “Not possible, and you know it.”

Gabriel’s eyes grew sober. “Actually, it’s quite possible, and you know it.”

Sam walked over to enfold his angel in a tight hug. “None of that. You’re the one who boasted of your ‘use of grace with delicacy.’ Prove it to me, archangel.”

He felt Gabriel’s grin against his chest. _Aww, Sam. You say the nicest things._

Sam gave him a final squeeze and let go. “Show me what a big bad archangel can do.”

Gabriel dropped down to the floor into a cross-legged position. “Not sure you’re actually going to be able to see much. I don’t know if our bond has progressed to the point where you’ll be able to see fine details of grace manipulation.”

Sam raised an eyebrow. “You mean that’s a thing?”

Gabriel nodded. “Should be. Admittedly I’ve never bonded before, but I think you’ll eventually gain some of my senses.” He patted the floor beside him. “Have a seat. Let’s see what you can see now.”

Sam did as requested and placed a hand on Gabriel’s thigh. Even though the bond kept them connected, Sam preferred physical contact when possible. From the quick surge of pleasure down the link, he knew his angel felt the same way.

“That’s good,” Gabriel confirmed. “Now close your eyes. This should be easier without visual distractions.”

Sam did as told, although he had to ask, “But how am I going to be seeing anything with my eyes closed?”

Amusement travelled along their bond. “Because while technically, you’re going to be using your eyes here, if you can ‘see’ grace right now, your eyelids won’t block it. Closing your eyes will help you to focus on one thing at a time.”

“Okay. What do I do next?”

“Open yourself fully to our bond.”

That was easy to do. Most of the time, they kept the bond dialed back, to avoid distractions, but Sam loved opening it up all the way. He could feel everything from Gabriel, and he missed it when he only got part of it. Concentrating for a moment, he lowered all his walls and just felt everything that was Gabriel.

Awareness came through like a wave, warm and enveloping. He could feel everything Gabriel was feeling, and he returned the wave with his own emotions.

_Love, connection, pride, anxiety and confidence_ were predominantly what was coming from Gabriel. Sam sorted through them for a moment. The first two were obvious. Pride in his bondmate’s abilities, especially in regards to their bond. Anxiety encompassed all the things that could go wrong as they moved through Phase Two. Confidence in his own ability to find Lucifer without being discovered in return.

Sam returned Gabriel’s emotions with his own love, confidence in the angel’s ability and pride in his own bondmate.

He felt Gabriel adjust something in their bond and suddenly, he was aware of a bright silver white light surrounding them.

_Can you see that?_ the angel asked.

_White light?_ Sam responded. _It’s kind of overwhelming._

_That’s it. You’re doing well, Sam._

Sam felt something shift again in their bond, and the brightness faded a bit to the level of a sunny summer day.

_Better?_

_Definitely_

_Okay, so we know you can see grace. Now let’s see if you can follow me as I manipulate it._

As Sam watched, the brightness around them took on a more solid appearance, like a shroud covering them.

“Are you shielding us?” Sam asked, forgetting in the moment to speak mind-to-mind. He was getting better at it, but he still found it easier to speak out loud most of the time.

“Yes,” Gabriel responded in kind. “That’s the shroud you’re seeing. Nothing short of Dad can get through my shielding. I’ve been perfecting this for centuries.”

“But how do you get through it to look for Lucifer?”

He could fee Gabriel’s grin through their bond. _Ah, now that’s the clever part. Watch this._

Sam watched as the archangel manipulated grace. First, he formed a tendril, which was still attached to the inner side of the shroud. Then he...for lack of a better word...poked the tendril through the shroud, so it extended outside the shield but was still completely shielded.

“You’re shielding the grace that does the searching?” Sam said, full of wonder at what he was seeing.

_Exactly. None of my brothers ever thought of this. That limits their range. You can make a tendril...good word by the way...small enough to avoid notice, but you can’t search very far that way. The way I do it, I can search as far as my grace can reach. If I were at full strength, I could search most of the universe like this. However, even at my current strength, I can manage the entirety of the Earth. Easily._

Sam sent as much pride and approval at Gabriel as he could muster, and he could feel the angel preening under the surge of emotion.

The tendril snaked away until the end of it was far beyond Sam’s ability to sense. He just had enough time to wonder how long it was going to take when the grace came snapping back.

“What happened?” Sam asked.

The tendril retreated behind the shield and was absorbed into the rest of the grace. “I found him. That was easy. It’s almost like he wanted to be found. He was barely shielding himself.”

Sam wasn’t certain how to take that, but he’d worry about it later. “Where is he?”

“Florida. Orlando to be precise.”

Sam chuckled. “Well at least he’s not so cliched to have gone down to Georgia.”

He felt stunned amazement from Gabriel for a moment before the angel started laughing. _That was worthy of me, Sam._

“I’m good for one every so often. Can I open my eyes again?”

The grace surrounding them dimmed in brightness, although Sam was aware that it still surrounded them.

“Certainly. Unless you were planning to drive to Florida with your eyes closed.”

Sam opened his eyes to see Gabriel smiling at him, not a trace of self-doubt in his golden eyes.

“Nope. It’s going to be a long enough drive with my eyes open.” He was calculating distances in his head. It was at least a 24 hour drive, more with food and bathroom breaks. With only a week before they needed to be back here to open the Rift, he was going to have to drive hard, with only short stops to recover. This wasn’t going to be fun at all.

Gabriel lightly swatted him on the nose.

“Hey! What was that for?” Sam protested.

“You do know that I can drive, right?”

Sam blinked for a moment. Actually, he hadn’t even thought of Gabriel as a possible driver. “Do you have a license?”

Gabriel reached into his back pocket and withdrew a battered leather wallet. He opened it, and Sam could see a Kansas driver’s license in the windowed slot. “It’s every bit as real as yours, Sam.”

The Hunter snorted. “Like that means anything.”

“I guarantee it’ll stand up to more scrutiny than yours. Which reminds me. Hand me your wallet.”

Sam pulled it out of his back pocket and handed it over, curious. Gabriel took it, and Sam felt a tiny surge of grace. The angel handed it back. “There. Now it should pass just about any test one of you humans can devise.” He grinned. “Bet Lex couldn’t top that.”

Sam smiled back at him. “Don’t tempt him. He’d take it as a personal challenge.” Sam took the wallet back. The license didn’t look any different, but he didn’t doubt the former Trickster’s work. “All right,” he said. “Let’s get driving. Even with us trading off, it’ll still take more than a day to get there.”

***

Everyone spent several tense hours waiting for Ketch to return. Dean paced back and forth in the small tent. Cas waited with him, gently asking Mary, Griff and Bobby to leave. Dean was grateful but couldn’t say it. He was glad to have his angel’s steady presence. The bond was soothing and the only thing that allowed him to get through the waiting. He tried to distract himself by wondering if Gabriel had found Lucifer. Where had the old bastard hidden himself?

Unfortunately, wondering led to worrying about his brother, and he tried to focus on something else. He wasn’t even sure why the waiting this time was worse than others. It wasn’t like he’d never waited for information before a hunt. Something about this was different, even though he couldn’t figure out what.

Finally, Cas raised his head and said, “Hael has returned.”

“Is Ketch with her?” Dean asked, moving for the door before hearing the answer.

As soon he emerged from the tent, he saw Ketch and Hael approaching. Both of their expressions were grim. Bobby, Griff and Mary came from the other direction, and they all met at the tent at roughly the same time.

“How bad is it?” Dean asked.

“Bad, but probably doable,” Ketch said. “Let’s go inside. I want to sketch this out before I forget the details.”

Dean held the door to the tent open, and everyone passed him. Cas gave him an encouraging touch on his shoulder as he passed by. Dean was grateful but didn’t have much attention to spare for it. He was all business.

As soon as he entered the tent, Ketch moved to the table where they planned their raids. He carefully moved the map with all the Army men out of the way and pulled over a large blank sheet of paper.

“All right,” he said as he drew in buildings with precise pencil lines. “As we thought, there are well over a hundred angels there, and they are well organized. However, it doesn’t appear as if they are expecting company. They have sentries--” He marked their positions on the map. Hael stood beside him, correcting a few of his marks and adding a few of her own. “--here, here and here. They are alert but not really positioned well to cover the entire camp.” He drew a line showing a possible entry point. “I think we could come in this way and make it a good distance into the camp before they noticed us.”

Dean looked over the map and turned to Cas. “Thoughts?”

The angel stepped forward to look.

_You can plan strategy perfectly well, Dean._

Dean fought to keep his emotions off of his face. _I know. But you planning strategy is...well...it’s kind of hot._

Laughter like warm honey flowed down the bond.

Cas examined the map, eyes flicking from building to building, sentry to sentry. “I agree, assuming we are seeing what is really there.”

“What we drew is accurate,” Hael said.

Ketch put a hand on her shoulder, surprising Dean. Apparently, working together had created the beginning of a bond. He mentally added Hael to the strike team.

“Yes, dear. What we’ve drawn is accurate. However, what the angel means is that what we saw could be a well-designed illusion. We should assume that nothing is exactly as we saw.”

“You mean that this might be a trap,” Hael said, her voice flat.

“That is correct,” Cas said, still looking at the map. “However, it’s unlikely that everything is false. The placement of buildings, for example, are likely to be as you’ve drawn them.”

“But you’re saying we should take troop placements with grains of salt?” Griff asked. He was looking at the map, as if memorizing everything he saw.

“Exactly,” Cas said.

“Does this change anything we discussed earlier?” Mary asked, hope in her voice.

While Ketch and Hael had been scouting, Dean had detailed his proposed strike force: himself, Cas, Jack, Griff and Ketch. Mary and Bobby had both argued that they needed a larger force. Dean and Cas both disagreed, continuing to express confidence in Jack’s abilities.

“Besides,” Dean had said. “In case something goes wrong, and we don’t come back, someone needs to be at the location when Gabe opens up the Rift again. You and Bobby are the only other ones who know where that is. Someone needs to let them know what happened and that they need to make new plans.”

Neither had been happy about it, but both had finally conceded the point.

“No, this doesn’t change the original plan, except that I want to add Hael,” Dean said.

Mary gave him an aggrieved look.

“It makes sense, Mom,” Dean said. “Cas can’t teleport, and Hael can. That gives us two ways out of there.”

“Jack needs to see this,” Cas said, ignoring the mother/son interaction.

“You’re right. Any idea where he is?” Dean asked.

“I’ve already asked him to come here,” Cas said, his attention still focused on the map. Dean could feel him planning and left him to it.

“Anything else we need to know?” he asked Ketch.

“I think we’ve covered everything,” he replied.

“All right,” Dean said. “Ketch, go grab some food and a bit of down time. We don’t have long, so I want to leave in no more than two hours.”

“I’m fine,” Ketch said as Jack entered the tent. The Nephilim moved to the map and studied it over Cas’ shoulder.

“You sure?” Dean asked. “Leaving earlier would be good, but not if you’re going to be fatigued.”

Ketch scoffed. “That? Barely more than a walk in the park for me.”

Hael was giving the Brit a look of disbelief, but she didn’t protest, so Dean let it go. “Okay. Jack, can you be ready to go in fifteen minutes?”

The young man gave a vaguely affirmative wave.

“Cas, what’s the plan?”

Everyone who was going on the mission gathered around the map. Cas pointed to three locations. “Jack, you will drop Dean and I here and then move west, roughly along this route.” He traced his finger along the map. “Assuming the troop locations are reasonably accurate, that will allow you to deal with the largest grouping.” He pointed to another location. “Ketch, Griff and Hael, you will land here and clear the way for Dean and I, who will go this way.” He ran his finger along a route to the building where Castiel was being held. “We will get Castiel out of there and meet up here.” He pointed to a location on the outskirts of the camp. “As soon as we’re all there, we’ll teleport back here.”

Simple plan, but considering all the unknowns, that was probably for the best. Dean gave Cas a slap on his shoulder. “That works. Anyone else want to comment?”

No one did, so Dean nodded. “All right. Wings up in fifteen then. Let’s get Castiel back, people.”

_Wings up, Dean?_

Dean sent back a mental shrug. He thought it sounded cool.


	8. Chapter 8

Gabriel sat in the front seat of the Impala. His eyes roamed over the scenery passing by with monotonous sameness, but he wasn’t actually seeing any of it. All of the confidence he had felt while doing the search for Lucifer had vanished by the time they had driven the first hundred miles.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Sam asked.

"I don't think they're worth even that much," he responded, knowing he sounded weak and defeated and not able to do anything about it.

A long arm reached over and pulled him across the bench seat. Gabriel sighed and let himself be moved. He wanted the contact. He really did, but he also felt weak for wanting it so badly.

"That's the second time in less than a minute that you've thought of yourself as weak, when that's the farthest thing from the truth," Sam said. Gabriel felt a surge of love and pride across their link.

"I felt so good a couple of hours ago, and now I feel like this." Without conscious thought, his body moved closer to Sam, tucking himself under the tall man's shoulder.

"That's the way recovery works," Sam assured him. "It's not a linear process. It's more of a two steps forward and one step back thing."

"Or one step forward and two back." Gabriel knew he sounded peevish, but he couldn't stop himself. One of these days Sam was going to realize what he had tied himself to, and everything was going to come crashing down.

_No! I get that your mood is swinging in every possible direction, but you need to stop that train of thought right now. I love you as you are now. And as you will be in the future. That's not going to change._

A part of Gabriel thrilled to hear it. And another part cringed.

Sam shook his head and said, "Get my tablet out of the back."

"What?"

"You heard me. Tablet. Back seat now."

That came so far out of left field that Gabriel found himself turning to lean over the seat back, stretching to reach the tablet which had somehow slid between the passenger side door and the seat.

Just as he reached it with two fingers and was pulling it within easier reach, he became aware of what was traveling down their link.

"Sammich! Did you ask me to get the tablet just so you could admire my ass?"

"Nope," Sam said, sounding both pleased and smug. "That was just an added bonus."

Gabriel snorted and slid back into the front seat. He wriggled his way back under Sam's arm and powered on the tablet. "Okay, what did you want it for?"

"Find us a case along the way."

Gabriel craned his head out from under Sam's arm to check the tall man's expression. "What? You do remember that we are under a time limit here."

Sam shrugged and tapped his fingers on Baby's steering wheel. "Yeah, but think about it. If we trade off driving, it'll take us just over a day to get to Orlando. You said Lucifer seems willing to be found, so let's assume a day or so to find and trap him. A day and a half back. Then we have a pissed off archangel in the Bunker for something like three days, or longer. I don't like the sound of that. So, let's kill some time with a case."

Gabriel shook his head. "I hear you on the timing, but this sounds like a terrible idea. If we misjudge this, we're trapping our brothers and my nephew in Apocalypse World."

"So find us a quick case. And don't forget that if we run short of time, we can just get Lucifer to teleport us back."

"For someone who was worried about my Lucifer plan, you're being awfully blasé about it now." However, his fingers started tapping on the tablet screen, bringing up a browser.

Sam looked away from the road long enough to give him a thoughtful smile. "Not as much as you're thinking. Look, I don't know as much as you do about the grace trap, but I do figure that my attitude is going to be key to making this work. I'm about to face the being who tortured me for endless Hell years, and, yeah, that terrifies me, but I can't let it paralyze me or this will never work. So, I'm figuring out ways to deal with it. And the idea of making Lucifer teleport us back to the Bunker is one way of dealing with it."

Gabriel was nodding as Sam spoke. That actually did make sense. Sometimes he wished they hadn't killed Asmodeus as quickly as they did. While it ensured the demon would never be able to hurt him again, he thought it would do his current healing good to be able to confront him again. "Okay, I can see that." He started searching.

"Well, okay, that's only part of it," Sam admitted, his voice a bit sheepish. "To be honest, I've been thinking about how much fun it would be to work a case together. Been wanting to do it for months, and now we have the chance." He shrugged. “Almost wish you and I could have gone with Lex to that other universe. Some of that sounded fun.”

Gabriel caught something else along their bond. That wasn't the only reason Sam wanted to work a case. He put down the tablet and reached around the man's waist, pulling them together. "I'm not going anywhere, Sam. Not planning on dying anytime soon. We can do this if you want, but not just because you want to make sure we've done it in case something happens to me."

Sam shifted against him, disquiet traveling between them.

Gabriel held him as close as he could without interfering with driving. "I mean it. I did the whole noble sacrifice thing, and we saw how well that worked out. Sure, this is dangerous and risky as fuck, but we are going to get through it. All of us, Sam. Me included." He snorted. "Heck, me especially. I've got centuries of experience in protecting my own hide."

Sam hugged him back with one arm. "I get that, Gabe, but I also know you've changed. You're not the Trickster anymore, looking out mostly for number one. You've…grown up…is I guess the way to put it. Sometimes that leads to thinking sacrifice is the right answer."

Years of Sam's regret hit Gabriel like a hurricane-level wave. Words weren't going to fix this. He was seeing Sam's one step back after taking two steps forward. And really, when it came right down to it, there was only one correct response to the situation.

He set to work finding a case. If it was what Sam wanted, then he'd give it to him.

***

Dean knew that plans never worked out neatly, and he was always mentally prepared for it to happen.

Didn't mean that he ever liked it.

The rescue mission started out well enough. Jack dropped Cas and Dean at the predetermined location before moving into position. As they had intended, he immediately confronted a large group of enemy angels, and Dean had to force himself to keep moving instead of watching the kid fight. In just the few seconds he had, he saw how well Gabriel's teaching had meshed with Jack's natural abilities.

Ketch had checked in via radio and indicated they were in the process of clearing the way for Dean and Cas.

Cas led them along their appointed route. Because of the distraction caused by Jack, they met little resistance, quickly dealing with two angels who were late to the fight. Cas killed one without hesitation, and Dean killed the other, although it did take him a little longer.

He could already feel the physical effects of the bond. His reflexes were a bit sharper. He moved a little faster, and he noticed his increased strength in the ease with which he plunged his angel blade through his opponent's rib cage.

They were moving again before the glow of escaping grace had dissipated behind them.

It was when they were almost in sight of the building where Castiel was held that things started to go wrong.

"A reserve force of angels is in motion," came Ketch's voice over the radio. If you weren't familiar with his usual tone, you would have thought he was discussing the relative merits of English vs. American tea. However, Dean knew the man well enough to hear the faintest hint of panic in his cool British delivery. "Jack will be surrounded in moments."

Of course, that was the moment that ten angels appeared in front of them.

"And we are now surrounded as well," came another update from Ketch.

Son of a bitch!

Dean and Cas settled themselves. Even with Cas' fighting abilities and Dean's new bond, he didn't have any illusions. This was going to be a challenge.

_I love you_ , Cas sent along the bond as he smoothly parried the first angel's strike.

Shit. Well, he couldn't die after that, now could he? Dean took a half step back to meet the next angel's charge. Their only advantage, slim though it was, was their location, in a narrow alley between two buildings. As long as they were lucky and no angels came from the other direction, they couldn't be surrounded.

Shoulder to shoulder with Cas, Dean watched as the angel charged him, waving his blade about wildly. Without thinking, Dean's body moved, and he performed a perfect stop thrust, just as Gabriel had drilled him during fencing practice. One down. At his side, Cas killed his angel. Two down.

The next two moved in more cautiously. Cas managed to find an opening quickly, and his was down. Dean's opponent knew his business, and they feinted, thrust and parried each other for long moments, until Dean finally managed to bind his blade, followed by a lunge. Four down. He sent up a quick prayer of thanks to Gabriel for the fencing lessons. Their positioning made fencing moves particularly effective.

Of course, that's when Dean heard running footsteps from behind him. Cas shifted to guard Dean's back, but with six in front and four behind, he wasn't sure how they could win this fight.

As the angels moved into position to surround them, a strange cry sounded, ringing over the entire battlefield.

All the angels froze in place, except for Cas, who used his blade to quickly disarm several of them holding their blades so loosely that they put up no resistance.

_What was that?_ Dean asked.

Cas didn't stop his business-like disarming. _I didn't know Gabriel taught him that._

The cry went up again. This time it was both quieter and more intense. It was a combination of a falcon's cry and an angel's true voice. It pulled at Dean on a soul-deep level, and he found himself involuntarily moving a few steps closer to the source of the sound.

Cas grabbed him roughly and stopped him. _No, Dean! You are mine!_

Fierce possessiveness surged down their bond, and Dean stopped moving, torn between Cas and the source of the sound.

Something shifted in the bond, and suddenly Dean could think again.

"What the fuck?"

Nine of the angels surrounding them started moving, as if in a daze, toward the center of the camp. The tenth angel shook her head and moved as if to continue the combat, stopping only when she realized she no longer had a blade.

Cas made a sound halfway between a bark and a growl, and the angel disappeared, leaving only the fading sound of wings.

The cry sounded one more time, but now Dean was able to resist the siren call.

"Cas?"

His angel scanned around them. No angels appeared to do battle, and he took Dean's arm, moving him in the direction of the building where they thought Castiel was being held. "I'll explain as we go. I don't know how much time we have."

Dean allowed himself to be moved, but he sent a question down their link, just to be sure Cas didn't forget.

"That was the sound an archangel makes to summon his forces. I had no idea my brother had taught him that."

Dean couldn't help himself. He stopped to stare at Cas, who huffed, tapped his foot but didn't continue moving. "Wait? Summon his forces? What does that even mean?"

Cas sighed, and Dean felt exasperation along their bond. "Each of the archangels had their own forces, bound to them from the moment of their creation. That's how an archangel leads their garrisons."

Dean shook his head. "But Jack isn't an archangel."

Cas nodded. "True, but he is strong and half archangel. Apparently Gabriel thought it might be enough."

"But aren't these angels 'bound' or whatever to Michael?"

"Yes, but it's obvious many of them were doubting the direction of his leadership. It's possible for one archangel to attract and bind the followers of another. That's what happened after Lucifer fell. The other three archangels called as many of Lucifer's followers as possible. Less than a quarter of Lucifer's followers fell with him. My brothers salvaged the rest."

Dean could still barely process what he was hearing. He'd considered himself practically an expert on angels by now, but clearly there was more to learn. "How come I tried to go to him? I'm human."

"True, but you have some of my grace within you from our bond. Jack's cry called to the grace within you."

"I didn't see you trying to go to him. Why not?"

Cas tilted his head in confusion. "Because I am bound to Gabriel. I thought that would have been obvious."

Oh. Of course.

Before Dean could say anything further, Ketch and Griff came jogging up, unaccompanied by an angel.

"Where's Hael?" Dean asked as the men approached.

"The weird cry went up, and she got all glaze-eyed and followed it. What was that?" Ketch asked.

"Angel thing," Dean said at the same time Cas said, "There's no time for further explanations. We need to get to Castiel."

They all started moving, but as they jogged, Dean asked, "What's the fighting look like out there?" They were still between buildings and had no clear view of the main camp.

"Looks like close to half the angels are now fighting for Jack, and he was leading them toward the rest." Griff shrugged. "He seemed to have the situation in hand, and we figured we’d leave him to it.”

Ketch nodded and added, “Looked like angel stuff above my paygrade."

“That too,” Griff agreed.

They arrived at the building, and Dean was able to see a part of the camp beyond it. Griff had described the situation accurately. Jack was at the head of a large group of angels, and they were fighting a smaller group. Enemy angels were falling quickly. Fine. It didn't look like he needed any of their help, and he turned to follow Cas.

The angel waved a hand, and the door flew several feet. Dean idly noted that it appeared to have been barred and probably locked. Cas wasn't wasting any time. They rushed in and were in some sort of anteroom.

"This way," Cas said. Dean and Ketch followed him through the building

“I’ll keep guard out here,” Griff said, positioning himself at the door, shotgun ready.

Dean nodded in acknowledgement and followed Cas, who was waving his hand, throwing aside door after door until he stopped at one tiny room all the way in the back.

Dean skidded to a stop, almost shoving Cas into the room. Once he saw the angel inside, he wasn't sure what to do.

It was recognizable as Castiel. Just barely. The shivering form was naked, and almost every inch was covered in blood. It reminded him of how Gabriel had looked when Ketch had brought him, although worse.

Ketch was looking into the room over his shoulder. "Damn! That's bad."

"Dean?" Cas said.

Dean dragged his gaze away from the battered angel. "What do you need, Cas?" It probably came out harsher than he'd intended, but, damn. Castiel was in bad shape, and his condition pulled at the hunter.

"I need you to destroy the wards."

Dean blinked and finally focused on what Cas had been staring at. Angel warding sigils covered the doorway to the room. He'd learned a smattering of Enochian over the years, enough to read that the wards had been written to allow a couple of angels, presumably Michael and one or two others, to pass the wards.

"Right. On it." He pulled out his knife and started scraping through whatever the wards were written in. He had a sinking feeling that they had been written in Castiel's blood.

_You are correct_

Damn! Sometimes he hated being right.

Ketch was damaging the sigils on the other side of the door, and it was only a few minutes before Cas was moving slowly into the room, attention darting in every direction. Dean could feel him looking for booby traps or anything else that would stop them from just taking Castiel from this place.

The only furnishings in the room were a filthy pallet on the floor, where Castiel was lying, and a straight-backed wooden chair, neatly placed off to the side. The room reeked of fear and pain.

"Is he even alive?" Dean barely breathed the words, afraid if he spoke too loudly, he'd disturb whatever balance might be keeping the angel alive.

"He is," Cas answered. "But he won't be for long, if we don't get him out of here."

Dean thought quickly. While he and Cas could carry Castiel out of this place, they needed another angel to teleport them back to safety.

Fortunately, Ketch seemed to understand the need. "I'll go see if I can find Hael."

Dean nodded. "Good idea. Or if Jack has his angels in line, maybe he can let you borrow one of them."

"I'll get us angel transport out of here. Meet you outside."

He heard the man's retreating footsteps, but most of his attention was on the tattered figure in front of him. Cas was reaching out, and Dean felt the pull of grace as his angel attempted healing. After a long moment, a few wounds closed, but Dean couldn't see that Cas had managed much.

"I have stabilized him so we can move him, but, Dean—" Cas looked up from where he knelt by his injured brother. "I can't heal this. I'm not sure he will recover."

Dean refused to consider that possibility. "One step at a time, Cas. Let's get him back to camp. We'll take it from there."

Cas nodded and gently lifted the fragile form, cradling him securely in his arms.

Dean led the way out of the building, following his own advice, concentrating on one thing at a time. First get him out of the building. Then back to camp. Then they'd figure out the next step.

However, it was so hard to ignore both Cas' worry through their bond and Dean's own agony over Castiel's fate. It wasn't just that they needed him for the fight against Michael. Dean was starting to grow attached to his angel's counterpart. Maybe a bit too attached for his own comfort.

They arrived at the entrance to the building. Ketch was not to be seen.

Griff pointed in the direction they had come. “He went that way. Said he was going to find Hael.” He glanced that way. “Sounds like the fighting has stopped. I hope that’s a good thing.” He apparently noticed Cas, carrying Castiel and whistled. “That the angel we were coming to rescue?”

Cas nodded at the same time Dean said, “You both stay here. Let me go on ahead and see if I can find Ketch. Griff, shoot anything that even looks like it might threaten Cas and Castiel." He knew he was sounding overly protective, but right then he didn’t care.

Griff nodded.

Cas said, "Be careful, Dean."

"Always," Dean said, both of them knowing it for the lie it was.

Dean slipped between buildings, alert for enemy angels, but he saw no one and heard no fighting in the camp. Perhaps Jack had either bonded or pacified all the resistance?

A moment later, he saw Ketch and Hael turn a corner, coming his way. Relief flowed through him.

"What's the situation?" Dean asked as they approached.

"Jack seems to have everything in hand," Ketch said.

"He has bonded just under half of the angels here," Hael added. "The rest either fell in battle or are being executed."

Dean was more than a bit creeped out by both the pride in her voice at Jack and the utter indifference at the slaughter of so many of her kind. However, his mind couldn’t help running the numbers. There had been between a hundred and a hundred and fifty angels in this camp. If Jack had bonded around half of them, that meant they had more than fifty angels to add to their forces. If you added in the ones they'd killed, they'd robbed Michael of a significant percentage of his numbers.

Not enough to turn the tide yet, but if they could do this again, this plan might actually work.

"I briefed Jack on Castiel's condition, and he said Hael could teleport us back to the rebel camp. He'll follow once he's sorted his new force."

Dean motioned them in the direction where he'd left Cas. "Does he know what to do with them?"

"It appears as if he does," Hael answered. "I think your Gabriel briefed him thoroughly."

Well, that was good to hear.

They arrived back to where Cas and Griff waited. The ex-agent lowered his weapon when he saw they were friendlies. Dean was just as glad he’d been alert.

Hael gave an indrawn breath of shock when she saw Castiel but wasted no time teleporting them in two groups back to the rebel camp. Cas and Castiel first, and then she came back for Dean, Griff and Ketch.

Once they were back at camp, Dean let himself relax a tiny bit. Castiel was safe. Now all they needed was to figure out how to heal him. Assuming he could be healed.


	9. Chapter 9

The supernatural world was strangely quiet right now. The only case Gabriel could find along the way was just outside of Nashville. Several unexplained disappearances, but nothing seemed to tie them together. Three adults, one man and two women. Mixed ethnic heritage and no common interests or social groups.

Gabriel had admitted he couldn't be certain it was their kind of case, but it was the only thing he could find. If there had been time, they could have handled what sounded like a rugaru in Colorado Springs. Sam had called Jody to let her know about that one, and she'd said she'd find someone to take care of it. He’d suggested sending Lex with some backup.

They had made good time, with Gabriel taking over the driving about halfway to Nashville. Sam checked his watch as they started into the metropolitan area. Thirteen and a half hours of driving so far. They had left Lebanon just before dark, and it was now about 8 am.

They stopped at a Walmart in Springfield, just outside Nashville, to get Gabriel a suit. He had plenty of jeans and t-shirts—he refused to wear anything resembling flannel or plaid--, but there had been no need for a suit until now. While there, Sam picked up a few additional supplies, including several bags of Dark Chocolate M&Ms, Gabriel's current favorite comfort food.

On their way out of the Walmart, Gabriel pointed to a sign across the highway. "A Hampton Inn. Let's get a room there." He gave Sam a stern side-eye. "I refuse to stay in one of the flea bag places you Winchesters seem to prefer."

Sam laughed as he tossed their purchases into the back seat of the Impala. "This is starting to feel like hunting with Crowley."

Gabriel, who had been about to climb into the passenger seat, paused and straightened up. "Crowley? You mean the crossroads demon? Why were you hunting with him?"

Sam shook his head, amused at the concerned possessiveness he sensed through their bond. "I forget sometimes how much you missed. Crowley got an upgrade to King of Hell, although about four years ago, I did a ritual on him that made him nearly human. Then he helped us open the Gates of Heaven soon after that. We needed to track down the ingredients for a spell, and that's how Crowley and I ended up hunting together. He insisted on 4 star hotels, so it's not quite the same, but it's close." Humor still tinged his voice.

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "Now that you mention it, I do remember Asmodeus bitching about him occasionally. I got the impression he was dead, though."

"No, he became human when he completed the Gates of Heaven spell. Dean and I hooked him up at Bobby's old place, and he's still there. He's just a warlock now, and he helps Jody out sometimes."

A second eyebrow joined the first one. "There's obviously a story here, which you're telling me when we finish this case." He paused and then added, "If he was human, or nearly so, how'd he pay for a 4 star hotel?"

Sam grinned, having hoped the angel would ask that. He'd carefully kept that bit shuttered in his mind. "He paid for them with sex. With young male hotel staff."

He laughed out loud at the look of disgust on Gabriel's face as he said, "I so did not need _that_ image. Daddy issues are not one of my kinks."

Sam winked at him. "Really? You are quite a bit older than I am, you know?"

Gabriel pointed at himself. "But I don't look half as old as he does."

Sam relented a bit, letting his gaze roam appreciatively over his archangel. "True." But then he dropped the final bomb. "You know why he agreed to become human and finish the spell?"

Gabriel tilted his head, expression cautious. "Am I going to get yet another image burned indelibly in my brain?"

"Probably." Sam deliberately didn't say anything, wanting him to ask.

Finally, Gabriel rolled his eyes and said, "All right. Tell me."

"In his words, he 'fancied' me."

A look of utter horror crossed the angel's features. "Don't tell me you actually—"

Now Sam took pity on him. "No. I told him I was flattered but that he wasn't my type."

Relief flowed over Gabriel's face. "Well that's something, at least. I'd hate to think I was getting a demon's sloppy seconds."

Sam just laughed at that and climbed into the car. Gabriel followed a moment later, and Sam drove to the Hampton Inn. "And how do _you_ plan to pay for our accommodations? We don't have time to hustle pool, and my current credit cards are about maxed out."

Gabriel smiled. “You know that I met Lex many years ago?”

Sam raised an eyebrow and shook his head.

“Well, I did. I was still rocking the Trickster gig, and Lex was having some trouble with someone at the Agency. I helped him out, and he did me a favor in return.” He concentrated for a moment before snapping his fingers and handing Sam a black credit card. The man examined it at the next intersection. Other than the color, it was a nondescript Visa card with a number, expiration date and the name "Sam Winchester" on the front.

"Dude! Way to use my real name."

Gabriel was shaking his head before Sam had finished speaking. "Have you no faith? It's fine. The card will work, and whoever runs the card will get paid. However, by the time the information gets to the credit card processor, your name will have been changed to something else. And as soon as we check out of the hotel, their record will show a different name as well. Oh, the expiration date will constantly change, so the card will never expire. When Dean gets back, I'll have Lex make him one too."

Sam considered for a moment, impressed. "How’s it work?"

Gabriel shrugged “Lex laid down some code, which he updates every so often. I think the money to pay the card is siphoned from a few illegal offshore accounts. He seemed pretty pleased with himself when he told me what he'd done. Pretty much all I have to do is create the card and tie it to his code."

“Nice,” was all Sam said. The more he saw of the hacker, the more he liked him.

He pulled into the parking lot of the Hampton Inn. Luckily, they weren't full and had a room free, even though it was hours before check-in time. They were even able to get a room with a king-sized bed. Sam felt Gabriel's hum of approval down their bond.

_No time for that. You were the one worried about our time limit._

Amusement almost distracted him while he was signing the credit card slip, making his signature an illegible mess—probably not a bad thing anyway.

_There's always time for that, Sammich._

Sam restrained from rolling his eyes, knowing the guy checking them in wouldn't understand.

However, he couldn't stop the sudden bark of laughter as Gabriel added, _Is he Crowley's type?_

Luckily, the young man, who definitely was Crowley's type, was too polite to comment on Sam's behavior. He handed them two key cards and said, his voice bland with little more than a trace of a Southern accent, "I hope you enjoy your stay."

_Oh, we will._

Sam managed to keep his expression neutral, although he shot back, _You're going to pay for that._

_I certainly hope so._

Oh well. At least the angel was in a good mood today. That would make things easier.

They went to the their room, which was definitely several steps above the usual Winchester special, and changed clothes. Sam was a bit surprised but said nothing when Gabriel went into the bathroom to change. Modesty was definitely not his thing, as Dean had learned the hard way when they both ended up in the kitchen in the wee hours one morning. Sam had endured a very long and quite loud lecture on "making sure your God Damned Archangel learns to always wear pants when he's out of your room, for fucks sake!"

It hadn't helped that, over their bond, Gabriel had been offering "helpful" commentary on Dean's choice of bathrobe and _seriously, who wears briefs like that anymore? Hasn't my baby bro cured him of that yet?_ Only years of practice in enduring his brother had allowed him to keep a straight face.

Sam changed into his suit and was knotting his tie when the door to the bathroom opened, and Gabriel emerged.

Sam's mouth went dry. The suit was nothing special, just your basic Walmart black, but on Gabriel it hung and draped in all the right places. His shirt was dark burgundy, which shaded his eyes to the color of fine aged cognac. A black tie, neatly tied in a complicated knot that tapered into a braid effect, completed the image.

Gabriel did one slow turn, allowing Sam ample opportunity to admire his well-muscled ass.

"Well?" Gabriel asked, humor lurking in the corners of his eyes. "Do I look the part?"

Sam managed to swallow. "Not in the slightest. I have no idea what that knot in your tie is even called or how you tied it."

"It's an Eldridge knot." Gabriel glanced down at himself. "Should I tone it down?" He didn't sound as if he intended to do any such thing.

Sam swallowed again. "Uh, no. Don't do that." Finally, he couldn't help himself and added, "Fuck! You look good enough to eat."

Smiling, Gabriel said, "Now you know what I have to put up with basically all the time."

Sam blinked. "Huh?"

Gabriel stalked a few steps closer. Sam could feel the heat of his body. "You have no idea how gorgeous you are, do you?"

Sam shrugged, having a hard time processing anything other than the tantalizing look and scent of his angel. "Uh, I mean, yeah, women have said that before, but I guess I never really thought about it. I'm just me."

Gabriel shook his head, grabbed Sam's tie and pulled him forward into a kiss that seemed to last forever. When he finally broke the kiss, Sam was half-hard in his pants and thinking about almost anything except the case.

"Later, Samsqautch. You wanted to work a case with me, so let's do it." With that Gabriel released Sam's tie and sauntered to the door.

The tall Hunter followed automatically, not even really aware of what he was doing until he was at the car, keys in hand.

"Do I need to drive, Sam?" Laughter threatened in his words.

Sam shook his head, reached down to adjust himself in his pants and then tossed over the keys. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea."

He flubbed the toss, and the keys hit the ground, breaking the plastic clip that held a cheap bottle opener to the ring. Sam’s thoughts were still distracted, and he picked up the keys without noticing.

Gabriel took the keys and got in on the driver’s side. Sam tried to get his head back into the hunt, but it was tough. When that was resolved, they were definitely going to take full advantage of that king-sized bed.

Gabriel's laughter resonated down their bond as he pulled out of the hotel parking lot.

***

Hael teleported them straight to the medical tent, but when Cas saw where they were, he shook his head. "Not here. He's a healer. In his condition, he won't be able to stand being near pain." Dean put a hand in the small of Cas' back and guided him to Mary's tent. He knew his mom would be okay with it.

When they arrived at her tent, Mary was just stepping out of it. "How'd it—" She broke off when she saw Castiel, and held open the door to her tent. "Inside. Now."

They all hurried inside, and Cas gently placed Castiel on Mary's cot, heedless of getting blood all over her blankets.

"What do you need, Cas?" Mary asked, her voice firm yet soothing.

Dean stood nearby, shifting from one foot to another, wanting something to do but not knowing what would help.

"There's nothing you could do which would help," Cas said, eyes focused on the battered figure. "I will do what I can for him, but I fear these injuries are beyond my skill."

"I've seen you heal from worse," Dean said, feeling a bit freaked from the anxiety spiking from Cas through their bond.

Cas placed his hands on Castiel's vessel, and Dean could feel the flow of grace from one angel to the other. "You have seen me heal wounds to the vessel. That's not what these are."

"What are they?” Dean asked, not sure he really wanted to know.

For all that Cas was pouring grace into Castiel, there was very little visual effect. A few wounds closed slightly, but that was it.

"These are wounds directly to his grace, which are manifested in his vessel."

Mary gasped and put a hand on Dean to steady herself. Dean knew exactly what she was feeling. His stomach heaved, and he fought to control it.

"I didn't even know that was possible," Dean finally managed to say.

Cas shook his head and stopped the flow of grace. He stood up, swaying slightly. Without thinking about it, Dean took a step forward and put a hand under his arm in support.

When Cas spoke again, his voice was barely above a whisper. "Oh, yes. It's what angels do to punish disobedience. It's what was done to me—"

He broke off, but Dean didn't need him to finish. He knew exactly what Cas was referring to. The time he'd gone to Heaven and left Jimmy behind. To think that his angel had gone through that.

"It wasn't as bad as that," Cas said, nodding with his chin at Castiel. "This is much worse."

"What can we do?" Mary asked. "There must be something."

Cas shook his head, grief evident on his features. "I'm not strong enough to heal this. I can keep him alive for a while. Maybe a few days. But there's nothing I can do for this."

Dean had the strangest feeling that there was something they could do, but the idea escaped him before it fully formed.

"Jack?" Mary asked.

Cas looked doubtful but said only, "Perhaps. He is stronger than I."

Dean nodded. "Right then. Stay here with Castiel. Keep him alive as long as you can. We'll figure something out. I needed to meet with Bobby to let him know about the upcoming angel incursion anyway."

Cas went back to kneel beside Castiel.

Dean started to leave the tent, and Mary followed him. "What angel incursion?"

Dean was going to answer, but before he'd moved more than a few feet outside the tent, he heard shouting from across the camp. "Shit!" he exclaimed, pretty sure he knew what was going on.

 

Mary followed him, and they ran to the large open space in the middle of the camp. Dean skidded to a stop between two large groups.

On his left were about fifty angels. They were shifting in place, and Dean fancied he could see the shadows of their wings rustling over them.

On his right were most of the rebels in the camp. They were holding angel blades and guns and looked ready to start fighting.

Between them were Griff, Ketch, Jack and Hael, arms outstretched, obviously trying to stem the rising violence.

"Stand down!" Dean yelled in the command voice he had learned from his dad. Somewhat to his surprise, everyone stilled and turned to face him.

Dean walked forward to stand by Jack. He saw Bobby running toward them and motioned him to stand with their group. The older man did so, shooting everyone questioning looks as he did so.

"Everybody listen up," Dean said, pitching his voice to carry to everyone. "These angels are on our side. They follow Jack now. Between the angels he brought back with him and the ones we killed on the raid, Michael’s strength is reduced considerably. We've now got a fighting chance here."

"How do we know they won't betray us when we're not looking?" came a voice from the crowd.

Bobby started to speak, but Dean touched his arm to stop him.

Jack answered. "You all know me. You know I'd do anything for you. I promise these angels are mine. They won't harm you or anyone under my protection."

All the angels nodded in unison, which Dean found more creepy than comforting, but he didn't comment.

"Jack, why don't you take your angels just outside the camp? Get them settled in."

Jack nodded and motioned his angels in the direction Dean had indicated. Before he had gone more than a few steps, however, he stopped and turned back. "Where's Cas and Castiel?"

Dean motioned back to the tent they had left. He pitched his voice low so the entire group couldn't hear. "Cas is with Castiel, who's hurt bad. When you get your angels settled, see if you can help."

The young man nodded and indicated his angels should follow him. They all marched off in ordered lines while Bobby settled down the riled up rebels. Dean was pleased to see Griff accompany the older man, and the rebels seemed inclined to listen to him too. There was something about Griff that made you trust him.

Dean walked over to Hael. He wondered why she hadn't gone with Jack but was glad because he had something to ask her. "Thanks for trying to keep things calm, Hael. Where are Zadkiel and Ramiel?"

She concentrated for a moment before saying, "They are few miles outside the camp. On patrol, I think."

"Good. Can you go get them and bring 'em back here? I'd like all the angels close by. I'm not sure what Michael is going to do when he finds out we stole or killed so many of his force."

She nodded. "I should bring them back anyway. They will want to pledge to Jack."

Dean tilted his head, realizing as he did that he was imitating Cas. "How can you be so sure? It's fine if they want to stay free agents."

Ketch was listening in, apparently interested in the conversation.

Hael was giving him a quizzical look. "Why would they not want to pledge to Jack?"

Dean had the feeling he was, once again, missing an important angel thing. "I don't know. I didn't know until today that archangels had their own entourage."

Hael nodded, her expression clearing in comprehension. "Ah. We are designed to be bound to an archangel. Castiel severed our bonds when we decided to follow him." She paused. "It was uncomfortable. This is much better."

"Are you certain both Zadkiel and Ramiel will follow Jack?" Ketch asked. "Not all of the other angels responded to his call. Some continued to fight."

"They will. The choice is between Michael and Jack. Given that Michael is no longer an option, they will go to Jack, as did I."

Ketch gave Dean a questioning glance, but the Hunter just shrugged. "I'm going to take her word on it." He turned his attention back to Hael. "Good enough. Go bring them back here."

She nodded and vanished with a flutter of wings.

"I hate it when they do that," Ketch said.

"You get used to it," Dean said.

"What now?" Ketch asked.

"I want to meet with you, Bobby, Griff and Mom. The balance of power just changed, and we need to decide what to do with our unexpected advantage."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look up the Eldridge knot. It's one of the most delightful tie knots I've seen. Extra as fuck too and totally Gabriel.


	10. Chapter 10

Sam was quiet on the drive to the police station. Finally, when they were just a couple of blocks away, Gabriel asked, "You okay? You got really quiet there."

He could have peeked through their bond, but he'd learned that it was often better to get Sam talking.

Sam shook his head as if coming out of deep water. "Yeah, I'm okay. I was just wondering about Dean and Cas. I know why we had to split up, but it's never easy sending him off like that. It reminds me too much about the year he was in Purgatory and I never knew it."

Sam had told him that story, so Gabriel knew what he was talking about. And he got it. He hadn't liked sending his own brother off to Apocalypse World either. He'd cut himself off from his family for centuries, and now he hated to let any of his new family go off into danger along.

However, that wasn't what Sam needed to hear right now. "It's not the same thing at all. He's got Cas, your mom, Jack, Griff and even Ketch." He still wasn't entirely sure he trusted the former British Man of Letters, but he doubted he could get up to much mischief in another universe.

"I know," Sam said. "But he's my brother." He smiled, even though it looked forced. "Hunting and worrying about each other is kind of what we do."

Gabriel pulled into the parking lot of the police station. As he parked in an empty slot, he said, "I know." He paused and then decided Sam might as well hear the rest. "Even when Cas is on the other side of the Rift, I have a vague…sense of him."

Sam's head turned quickly, and he fixed the archangel with a stern look. "And you never told me this before why?"

Gabriel shrugged. "Never came up. Their other trips have been short."

Sam huffed out an irritated breath. "Still would have been nice to know. When you say 'vague sense' what does that mean exactly."

"Not much. I know he's alive. That's about it." He thought for a moment. "Now that he's bonded with Dean, I think I'd know if anything happened to your brother."

"What about Jack?"

Gabriel shook his head. "No. I can't sense him." He paused again.

"There's something you're not telling me," Sam said.

"Yeah. Okay. So when we were all created, Dad bound the lesser angels to the archangels. We each had our own force. It's kind of like a weak version of the bond I have with you. I can find any of my angels, and they can find me."

Sam frowned. "Then how were you able to go into hiding if a bunch of angels could find you?"

"I severed the bond when I left."

Sam looked stunned. "Didn't that…I mean…all those angels?"

Gabriel nodded. "Yeah, it was a dick thing to do, and I doubt many of them ever forgave me for it." A wave of grief washed through him at the thought that most of his brothers and sisters were dead and gone into the Empty, never to return. All those voices forever silenced.

Sam put an arm around him and dragged him close. "Sorry. I didn't mean to make you remember that."

Gabriel let himself be held for a moment before saying, "Yeah, well. That's in the past now. Anyway, Cas had been one of Michael's angels originally, but, not long after I came back, he asked if he could pledge to me. He'd severed his bond to Michael when he threw in with you lot, and he was glad to be bound again." He shrugged, still not sure he deserved it, but it had been nice to have an angel pledged to him again.

"So that's why you can sense Cas. But what about Jack?" Sam asked.

Depending on how things were going in Apocalypse World, they might already know about his plan for Jack, so there wasn't any reason not to tell Sam. "I had an idea to fix Heaven here. We need more angels, and the only place to get more angels quickly is over there."

"So you taught Jack to bond angels?" Sam asked.

Sam still surprised him by how sharp he was. "Yes. He took to it easily. We can't be sure until he actually tries it, but I think he'll be able to attract at least a few angels to our side."

Sam looked like he was thinking it over. Finally, he said, "That makes sense, but I still think it would have been a good idea to tell someone what you were doing."

"You're probably right. Was on my own for so long that it's taking me a while to get back to this teamwork thing."

Sam leaned over to give him a quick kiss. "You'll learn. Now let's get going on this case before someone else dies."

Gabriel turned off the car and handed the keys to Sam, who looked at them quizzically. "If you want to drive back, that'd be fine."

Laughing, Gabriel shook his head. "Nope. I'm convinced Dean has some sort of detection thing going on there. He'd know if they've been in my pocket."

Sam laughed and took the keys from him. "You might be right. It wouldn't surprise me."

They started walking to the door of the station. "Have he and Cas done it in there, yet, I wonder?" Gabriel asked.

Sam opened the door and motioned the angel through. "Oh yeah. Couple of times at least before they broke up. I caught sight of the Impala rocking back and forth on my way back from a run more than once."

"Good for my baby bro!" Gabriel said.

As soon as he'd gone through the doors, he schooled his features back in to the solemn mien of an FBI agent.

They walked to the counter, where a young clerk was watching them curiously. Gabriel noted his name badge: Gareth.

"Can I help you gentlemen?" he asked.

Sam and Gabriel both pulled out their badges and held them up. Sam introduced them, "Agents Stefan and Claus with the FBI."

Gareth frowned, barely glancing at their badges. "I'm pretty sure we didn’t call the FBI about anything."

Sam didn't miss a beat. "No, you didn't. We heard about the deaths you've had recently, and they sound like they might be related to another case we're working on."

Gabriel watched the Hunter work, impressed by the easy manner he had with the young clerk--professional but not unapproachable—perfect for someone in a department that probably mistrusted the interference of the FBI.

"Which deaths might those be?" the clerk asked. Gabriel recognized the tone as testing.

Sam pulled out a notebook. "Susan Hixson, Beth Williams and Robert Collins. All killed within the last two weeks. No obvious connections between them."

The clerk nodded. "Okay, yeah, I know which ones you’re talking about. Let me talk to the detective in charge and let her know you're looking into it."

Sam gave him a respectful nod as the clerk turned to go into the back.

"Nice job, Sam," Gabriel said, voice pitched low so only they could hear.

Sam smiled. "That was the clerk. We'll see what the detective is like."

The detective in question stepped into the lobby and walked purposefully in their direction. Gabriel gave her a discrete once over. About his height, perhaps in her mid-thirties with long brown hair pulled into a neat ponytail, she wore a sensible suit: black trousers with a sky-blue shirt under a blazer that matched the trousers. No jewelry, other than a simple gold wedding band. No flirting, then.

"Agents? Gareth tells me you are interested in a few of our recent murders."

"Yes, ma'am," Sam said, his tone polite and professional. "We think they may be related to some cases we've been investigating in St. Louis."

She frowned. "That's quite a ways. Seems unlikely. We've got no reason to believe ours are any more than a local."

"Would you mind if we took a look?" Sam asked. "If there's no similarity to our case, we'll be out of your way."

She seemed to be considering for a moment before shrugging and holding out her hand to Sam. "Detective Marsh."

Sam smiled and took her hand. "Agent Stefan." He motioned to Gabriel. "And my partner, Agent Claus."

She gave Gabriel a brief nod and indicated they should follow her into the back. Gabriel was amused that all of her attention was on Sam. Perhaps she had a thing for tall men?

She led them to her office, which was small and crowded with papers and file folders. There was no place to sit, and she didn’t offer them anything. She went straight to her file cabinet and took out three files, which she handed to Sam.

Sam took them and asked, "Is there someplace we can sit down and take a look at these?"

Detective Marsh nodded and led them to what appeared to be a break room. "This do?"

"It'll be fine, thanks," Sam said.

"I'll leave you to it, then," she said before leaving them alone.

"Tough one," Gabriel remarked.

"You just don’t know what to do when they don't fall all over you," Sam said, a twinkle in his eyes.

Gabriel shrugged. "Nah. I'm taken now."

The smile Sam gave him lit up the room.

Gabriel lowered his eyes and took one of the file folders. "Let's look at these. I don't think she'll leave us alone for long."

Sam took one of the other folders, and they flipped through them quickly. Gabriel didn’t like what he was seeing, and, from the unease he felt from Sam, he knew the Hunter didn't like it either.

"Tox screen came back with something they couldn't identify," Sam said. "But it didn't kill them."

"No," Gabriel agreed. "They all died of starvation, but from the looks of it, they took a while to die."

"And they didn't think there was anything to tie together the deaths?" Sam asked, his tone disgusted. "That sounds like a connection to me."

"Well, it wasn't so much the deaths that they didn’t think were linked. More the victim profile. And--" Gabriel flipped back through one of the folders. "I'm not sure I'm seeing anything either."

"But you think they were djinn victims?" Sam said. It wasn't a question.

"Definitely," Gabriel agreed.

Sam stared off into space. Gabriel could feel him thinking, but he left him privacy around the actual thoughts.

Finally, Sam said, "We need to find the lair."

Both of them went diving for the files and started flipping through them. Gabriel started reading off addresses. Sam copied them down and pulled up Google Maps on his phone.

"Got it. There's an industrial park fairly close to all those addresses. It's a place to start, at least."

Just then, Detective Marsh came back in. "Well, agents. Is there a connection?"

Gabriel answered her this time. "I'm afraid not. Too many little details don’t match. We're sorry we took up your time."

She actually looked disappointed. "That's too bad. We're at a dead end on this one. I wouldn't have minded some Bureau assistance on it."

"I wish we could have helped you too," Sam said. He handed back the files. "Thank you for your time."

She took them, and Gabriel noticed her hand linger on Sam's as she did so. He grinned and stepped back to give them a bit of space. He wondered if she'd make a move.

She did. "Agent. If you're not heading back immediately, perhaps you'd let me buy you dinner and show you some Southern hospitality."

_Oh, is that what she's calling it?_ he sent to Sam.

He felt Sam work at suppressing his grin. "That's very kind of you, ma'am, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline."

Detective Marsh looked disappointed, but Gabriel had to struggle not to grin. He could feel what was coming next.

"I'm already taken," Sam said as he stepped over and placed an arm around Gabriel's waist.

The archangel _just_ managed to avoid looking smug, settling for professionally pleased.

The detective's mouth dropped open slightly, and both Sam and Gabriel decided it was a good time to make their escape.

Off to find a djinn.

***

Dean hurried to the command tent. Cas and his worry were a constant presence in the back of his mind, but he had to ignore it for now. At the moment, he was needed as a commander. Entering the tent with Ketch following close behind, he saw Bobby had already arrived and was talking with Mary. Griff was standing off to the side, listening.

"What the heck happened over there?" Bobby asked before the tent flap had even closed. "Where did all those angels come from?"

Dean explained archangels and bonding lesser angels as well as he could, considering he barely understood it himself. When he was done, Bobby just shook his head. "Not sure I trust it, but Jack's a good kid, so I guess I'll go with it."

Dean shrugged. "That's pretty much where I am as well. Cas says it's a thing, and I trust him."

"What about Castiel?" Bobby asked. "Mary tells me he's hurt bad."

"Cas is doing what he can, and I told Jack to see if there was anything he could do."

At that moment, the tent flap opened, and Jack walked in, his expression somber. "There's nothing I can do. I tried, but it's like pouring energy into a bucket with a hole in the bottom. Nothing is sticking."

Damn. He had hoped Jack would be able to do something. Dean could feel the despair from Cas and knew his angel had hoped also, even though he been outwardly pessimistic.

_We'll figure something out, Cas. Not letting him die._

No response, but the despair eased a tiny bit. It would have to do.

"So how bad did we hurt Michael's forces?" Bobby was asking.

Dean forced himself to pay attention to the discussion. "I'm guessing we dropped him by about a sixth, maybe a little less, considering the number Jack bonded and the number we killed."

Bobby was shaking his head. "That's good and all, but we have to assume it's going to piss him off something fierce. Got a plan for that?"

"Actually, yes," Dean said. "Hael is going out to bring Zadkiel and Ramiel back to the camp. I want to keep all the angels close."

"Not out patrolling?" Mary asked.

Dean shook his head. "Thought about it, but no. With any luck, Michael can't sense us through the warding we have up. But if we're wrong, and he can? Well, if he drops right in the middle of camp, I want everyone close by."

Bobby obviously thought it through for a moment before nodding. "I can see that. I can see advantages to patrolling too, but we'll do it your way." For now was loud and clear in his voice.

However, Dean had a sudden thought. "Jack, you can sense angels. Can you, I don't know, keep an 'ear' out for them?"

Jack considered. "Uncle Gabe and I didn't work on that specifically, but I think I might be able to." He paused then added, "I'll need to be outside the warding, though. It blocks me just like it blocks them."

"Then how was Cas able to find Castiel?" Griff asked. "He was inside the warding when he did his search, wasn't he?" Everyone looked at him, obviously having forgotten him. Dean realized that the man was able to be awfully quiet and unobtrusive when he wanted to.

As all eyes turned to him, Griff shrugged. “I don’t know much about this angel stuff, but it seemed like an obvious question.”

Dean had to agree. Cas had been inside the warding.. He turned to Jack with a raised eyebrow. "Any idea?"

Jack nodded. "Cas is better at it than I am. I know Gabriel gave him some special training or something. We didn't have time to work on that with me. It took me to long too learn to summon my blade."

Dean clapped him on the shoulder, not about to let him get stuck in a downward spiral of self-misery. "Doesn't matter. You have your strengths. Cas has his. That's the way a good team works. Everyone doesn't have to do everything."

"But Uncle Cas could sense angels from within the warding."

Dean squeezed his shoulder. "Doesn't matter. Cas needs to stay with Castiel right now until we come up with a way to heal him. Just be careful and we’ll manage."

Jack nodded and ran off.

"The boy's right," Bobby said as soon as Jack had left. "It's risky having him outside the warding."

Dean nodded. "I know, but we need someone to keep watch, and Jack's the best we've got right now."

"You know that angel's gonna die, Dean. Doesn't matter if Cas is with him or not. I poked my head into the tent, and I know someone dying when I see it. That boy's a goner."

Dean felt anger rise within him, but he pushed it back down. He couldn't argue with Bobby's point, but he also knew that he couldn't just abandon Castiel. He _knew_ there was an answer. He just needed a quiet space to work it out. However, it didn't look like he was getting that quiet anytime soon, so, until then, Cas was going to have to keep his counterpart alive.

None of that was going to convince Bobby, though, so all he said was, "I'm not giving up on him that quickly. A lot of this plan relies on him."

Bobby gave him a doubtful look, but he nodded, going along with it for the moment.

"So what's our next move?" Mary asked, obviously wanting to distract the two men from their opposing opinions.

"I think we're going to have to move the camp," Dean said.

Bobby nodded, obviously not liking the idea but presumably not seeing an alternative. "Don't like it, but I can't see how we're going to be able to stay here much longer. Not after that raid. However, how are we going to conceal our movements?"

"By being sneaky," Dean said. He grinned. "Or perhaps a better word would be 'tricky.'" He allowed himself a moment to think that Gabriel would approve.

"What did you have in mind?" Griff asked.

"Well, as far as we know, angels can't detect humans the way they can angels, right?"

Bobby nodded. "As far as we know, although I'd think you'd know that better than us, having been hanging around with one for so long."

"I'll double check with Cas, but I'm pretty sure. As long as none of us pray to any angels, we should be good."

Bobby barked out a laugh. "Not much chance any of my boys are gonna be praying to angels anytime soon."

Dean hoped that would change once Michael was defeated, but for now, no, it didn’t seem likely. "Well, in that case, my thought was that we would split into two groups. Humans go one way, in the direction of the new camp. Ketch and I will go with the angels, leading them in a different direction."

“Take me too,” Griff said, one hand idly rubbing his chest. “I’ve got angel grace in me. Might confuse them and make them more likely to follow us.”

“You sure?” Dean asked at the same time Bobby exclaimed, “You got angel grace in you? How’s that possible?”

“Sure,” Griff said, nodding to Dean in answer to his question. Then he turned to Bobby. “Gabriel gave it to me to heal stuff that was wrong with me.”

“And what’s wrong with you?” Bobby asked, his mouth drawn down in displeasure.

“Used to be crazy. Probably aren’t any more.”

Dean was amused by the way he said it. It was obvious Griff didn’t much care what people thought of him. Dean kind of liked that in him.

Mary shot Bobby a look. "Enough of that. He’s performed well enough so far.” Then she looked back at Dean. “I see why you want to send the angels one way, but we can’t communicate and you won't be able to join us. That would just lead them back to us."

"True," Dean said. "Ketch, maybe with Hael, can be our go between."

He turned to Ketch, who had been oddly quiet through the entire exchange. "What do you think?"

Ketch considered for a moment before saying, "I don't like the idea of splitting our forces, but I can see your reasoning. I'm willing to be a go between, assuming you think one angel can fly under the radar, so to speak."

"Again, I'll check with Cas, but I think one angel's going to be pretty hard to pick out of the background noise. If it makes it safer, we can rotate which angel's with you. That might make it even tougher to pick you up."

Ketch was nodding. "I think that makes sense. If needed, an angel can drop me several miles outside the camp, and I can hike in on foot. Slower but safer."

Dean agreed. "Unless it's an emergency, of course. Then you drop right in on top of us."

"Of course."

"Sounds like a plan, then," Bobby said. "I'll get everyone started on breaking down the camp." His expression grew sad for a moment. "Was kind of starting to like this place."

"Can't get too—" Dean was starting to say when a shout from Jack stopped him.

"Incoming angels!"


	11. Chapter 11

Before heading to the djinn site, they stopped by the hotel to change clothes. Gabriel didn’t even glance at the king sized bed, instead changing clothes with rapid efficiency. Sam changed into his usual flannel and jeans. When they got to the car, he rummaged around in the trunk for a silver knife.

"Damn. No lamb's blood."

Gabriel produced his blade with a flourish. "They aren’t immune to angels. Even I can kill a djinn."

"That's good if you’re the one who runs into it, but I'd like to have some way to defend myself if it comes after me." He looked through the trunk and finally pulled out a shotgun, loading it with fragmenting shells. If he could manage a head shot, it should do enough damage to the brain to kill a djinn.

Gabriel nodded his approval. "That would do it too."

Sam closed the trunk. "Let's go. I want that thing gone."

Gabriel gave Sam a quick hug and climbed into the car.

Sam drove to the possible djinn site, an abandoned warehouse in an industrial district. He parked the car in a nearby lot and got out. "Figure it's better to walk from here."

"You mean you didn't want to let it know we were coming by pulling into one of its reserved parking spaces?"

Sam gave the angel a quick grin, appreciating the effort to lighten the mood. He had a particular hatred for djinn, never forgetting the two times djinn had poisoned his brother and the hallucinations those had produced.

They walked to the abandoned warehouse, moving cautiously through the no man's land of overgrown grass, trash and abandoned junk that lay between where they had parked and their destination. The building itself had been partially reclaimed by weeds, ivy and other, less wholesome-looking plants.

"Certainly looks like prime djinn territory," Gabriel commented as they walked around the outside of the building, looking for a likely entrance.

Sam pointed to a broken window. "Let's approach from two directions. I'll take that window if you want to find an entrance on the other side."

Gabriel nodded, producing his blade. "Be careful."

Sam gave him a grin. "What, do I look like my brother? He's the one who runs in without a plan."

"Well, you are brothers, so yeah, you do look a little bit like him."

Sam flipped him off and started to move to the window.

_Promises, promises_

Sam laughed and watched Gabriel trot over to the building and vanish around a corner.

He dialed back his side of the link to just enough to be aware of Gabriel but not so much that he'd be distracted. Then he crouched down and approached the broken window.

He pressed his back against the wall and stood up just enough to peer inside. Nothing jumped at him from the interior gloom, and he could see just enough to note the presence of more junk in what looked like a small office.

Carefully, to avoid cutting himself on the glass shards jutting from the window frame, he entered the building, blinking at the sudden change from full sunlight to diffuse interior lighting.

Once his vision adjusted, he looked around. Broken furniture lay haphazardly across the floor, and a shattered picture frame slumped against the far wall. One door, hanging drunkenly from one hinge, led out of the room.

Sam stepped to the door, watching his footing, trying not to disturb any of the detritus on the floor. He put his back to the wall on the side opposite the hinges, gripped his shotgun firmly and quickly entered the next room.

Again, nothing jumped him. This looked like a small antechamber leading into the office. Another desk, smaller than the one in the other room, lay in broken pieces on the floor. The strong smell of weed, cigarettes and stale beer mingled with the fading scent of sex permeated the room. Obviously, it was used as a hook-up spot by local teenagers. A sagging, yellowed mattress against the wall to his left confirmed the supposition.

Sam relaxed slightly. A local teen hookup spot was unlikely to be a djinn lair. On the other hand, he was already inside, so he might as well meet up with Gabriel. He moved quickly through the room and walked through the door.

So of course, that's when something hit him on the head, dropping him into yawning blackness.

***

Dean ran out of the tent, drawing his angel blade as he did so. Angels were dropping out of the sky, too quickly to count, although he guessed somewhere between 30 and 50.

_Cas! Stay with Castiel_ he sent to his angel.

_But Dean…_

_No. We've got this. Keep Castiel safe. I think they’re coming for him._

_All right._ Cas' mental tone was reluctant, but Dean was confident he'd stay put.

Jack came trotting up at that moment. "Dean!"

"I see them. Get your angels in position."

"Already told them to defend the camp."

As Jack spoke, Dean noticed angels blinking onto the field. "Do they know who’s who?"

"Yes."

"Good." Jack started to run to join his forces, but Dean stopped him. "Send a couple of angels to help Cas. I'm thinking they're here to recapture Castiel."

Jack nodded and continued on.

Dean turned to the tent to see Mary, Bobby, Griff and Ketch emerging. "Get all the humans under cover," Dean yelled.

"Why?" Bobby asked.

"Because we don't have any way for our people to tell one group of angels from another." He was kicking himself. All the planning they had done, and no one had thought of that. They were going to have to figure something out soon. However, for now, Dean was reasonably certain they had enough angels to win this one.

From the expressions on all the human's faces, they'd obviously had the same thought. Bobby nodded. "All right.” He pointed to Mary. "You take that side of the camp, and I'll take this one."

Griff spoke up. “I can tell them apart.”

Dean’s eyebrows went up. “You can?”

Griff nodded. “Easily. Might be because of my grace.”

“All right. You’re with me then. Mom, Bobby, off you go.”

Mary nodded and jogged off. Bobby went in the other direction.

Dean left them to their tasks. He took stock of the fighting. The two groups of angels seemed fairly evenly matched. He wondered if there wasn't something he could do about that. Oddly, he also had no trouble distinguishing their forces from Michael's. He assumed it had something to do with the bond.

"What would you like me to do?" Ketch asked. "Sitting this out doesn't sit well with me."

Dean shot him a grin. "Both of you follow me. I have some ideas."

He started jogging for the weapons tent, Ketch and Griff following. "You can tell them apart too, can’t you?” Griff asked. “Because of the bond?”

"Yes, I can. This thing is even more useful than I’d thought."

Before they got to the tent, four angels, two in female vessels, dropped in front of them. They didn't have rifles, only angel blades. Dean smiled. Not easy, but the angels didn't outnumber them as thoroughly as they probably believed.

Ketch and Griff flanked him, both holding angel blades. Dean had seen Ketch take down angels, and he’d watched Griff train with Gabriel. Both men knew what they were doing, and he was happy to have the backup.

All four angels walked forward slowly, clearly thinking they had the upper hand. Dean fell into fencing stance and waited, watching their eyes. Gabriel's fencing tutelage had only supplemented decades of training, but the archangel had taught him that because angels could move so quickly, watching their blades wouldn't always work. Their eyes, however, would telegraph their moves if one only knew how to read them. All of them had spent hours sparring with Cas and Gabriel, learning how to read angel.

One of the female angels moved to the side, approaching Ketch. Dean let the former Man of Letters handle himself. Another, a male, approached Griff. The ex-agent had another small smile on his face. This one wasn’t amusement. It was confidence.

Dean left them to their opponents. He was waiting for the other two to make their moves.

Finally, the male angel moved into range. He raised his blade, moving it rapidly back and forth in an attempt to confuse. Dean ignored the blade, continuing to watch the eyes. The angel made his move, striking quickly. However, Dean was ready for him and moved almost as quickly, lunging past the angel's blade and plunging his own into the angel's chest.

The angel dropped, mouth open in a silent scream as grace exploded from his body.

Dean sidestepped the blast, noting out of the corner of his eye that Ketch was still battling his angel. Griff drove his blade up into his angel’s ribcage, and he dropped, grace exploding from his body to match the other fallen angel.

Griff turned to assist Ketch, and Dean left them to it, concentrating on the third angel, who was keeping her distance. It seemed as if she had learned from her companions’ mistakes.

All right. Dean could work with that. He closed the distance between them, thrusting toward her hand. She blocked his attack and attempted one of her own. Dean parried and thrust. He kept his movements fast and short, not seeing the right opening for a lunge. He kept half his attention on her blade but didn't ignore her eyes.

She tried a lunge of her own, but Dean was ready for it, having seen the motion telegraphed in her eyes. He bound her blade, moving it out of line and performed his own lunge, straight into her heart.

Three down.

He turned to Ketch and Griff, who were in the middle of a double teaming attack which ended with Ketch stabbing her.

All of them down.

"Let's go," Dean yelled to his companions and dashed toward the weapons tent, the other men close on his heels.

They almost made it.

Dean's only warning was a desperate sending from Cas.

_DEAN!_

Almost before the force of that sending faded, an angel dropped to the ground in front of them. He straightened, wings almost lazily folding back into his body.

Michael.

Dean stood his ground, knowing he was probably going to die here, but he wasn't going to give this asshole the satisfaction of running from him.

The archangel strode forward a few steps, to within twenty or so feet from the three men. He tilted his head in that familiar angel manner. While the motion in Cas reminded Dean of a falcon and in Gabriel a hawk, in Michael, it was definitely an eagle. An eagle with a razor sharp beak and talons he was ready to use.

"So you are this Dean Winchester who was so much in Castiel's thoughts," Michael said, his voice both audible and echoing strangely in Dean's head.

He felt a pull to Michael, stronger than he had ever felt from the Michael from his own world. There was no doubt he was this version's true vessel as thoroughly as he was the vessel over there.

Along with the pull to Michael, Dean was overcome with stark terror from Cas. He also was jolted by impressions of pain, fear and torment. Michael standing over him, demanding answers to questions he refused to give up.

Was he somehow tapping into Castiel's memories? How was that even possible?

The pull to Michael, terror from Cas and confusing mélange of images threatened to overwhelm him. But he was Dean Winchester, damn it. He had faced monsters while heartbroken, bleeding out, terrified beyond his wits and even when drunk off his ass.

No one made Dean Winchester back down.

He raised his angel blade, knowing even as he did so that it was futile, but he was not going to let this jumped-up dick intimidate him.

_Cas! Dial back the link. I need to focus._

He wished he'd had time to learn to do that himself, but he hadn't, so he needed Cas to do it for him.

Mercifully, the flow over the bond, including the images from Castiel, faded into the background. He could think again.

"You're not getting past me," Dean said, pleased at how firm his voice sounded.

Ketch and Griff stepped up beside him, angel blades ready.

Michael threw his head back and laughed. "You puny humans actually think you can stop me?"

"If we have to," Griff replied.

Michael stopped laughing, but the arrogance and tolerant amusement never left his dark eyes. He did however, give Griff an odd look. Was he sensing the archangel grace within him?

All three humans stood their ground.

Finally, Michael's eyes started glowing blue. Dean knew what was coming. He also knew he had no chance of surviving the oncoming grace blast. He couldn't kill Michael with an angel blade, but maybe he could distract him long enough for Ketch and Griff to get away.

He readied himself, knowing he had to time it just right. From practicing with Gabriel, he knew there was a split second where all an angel's attention was on focusing his grace. That was the moment when Dean could strike.

He waited and watched, calculating. Just as the glow around Michael grew bright enough to blind, Dean gathered himself, ready to move.

But before he could lunge, everything went black.

For a moment, Dean thought he'd died. Then he realized what he was seeing. An angel wing.

Jack's wing.

Dean's head snapped to his right, where Jack stood in righteous fury, eyes glowing orange-yellow in rage.

"No!" Jack said, his voice firm but just shy of yelling. "They are under my protection."

The glow around Michael faded. His lip curled on one side of his face. He laughed again. "Puppy! You think you can stand against me?"

Jack lowered his wing, folding it back within himself.

Dean glanced quickly to his left, noting that both Ketch and Griff still stood, unharmed. Griff was rubbing his chest, as Dean had noted he did when he was feeling Gabriel’s grace within him. What exactly did it do for them?

He forced his attention back to the confrontation at hand.

"I'll do what I have to," Jack was saying.

Michael laughed once more, raised his head and gave the call of an archangel.

Again, Dean felt the pull to the archangel, stronger than when he'd heard Jack's call the first time. However, this time, he knew what it was, and he drew on his bond to Cas and found the strength to resist.

He could feel Cas through the bond, watching, waiting but distant, not allowing himself to be a distraction.

Shit! Griff! Dean glanced to the side, but the other man stood firm. He did give Dean a small nod, which he took to mean the ex-agent was feeling the pull but was able to resist it.

Jack grinned, the expression utterly devoid of humor.

Then he raised his head and gave his own call.

Michael's eyes widened.

Dean heard the rustle of angel wings around him as more than fifty angels winked into the space around him. Again, he didn’t know how he knew, but he sensed some of the angels had been ones originally brought by Michael and turned by Jack.

Michael's eyes glowed blue and he called once more.

The angels shifted around Dean but didn't move.

Jack summoned his own blade and stepped forward. "Want to end this now, Michael?" Somehow he made the name of an archangel sound unimportant, as if he were calling the name of a child.

Michael started to speak, but a second later, vanished.

Dean relaxed. For the moment, they had won.


	12. Chapter 12

Gabriel entered the building from his side, easily finding a broken window. He moved quickly. Djinn were little danger, even to a depowered archangel, and he wasn't concerned about being jumped or surprised by one.

He noted when Sam dialed back the bond, and he approved. He hated the idea of splitting up, but he both saw the logic and understood he had to let Sam be a hunter. The man had been hunting most of his life and had amply proved he could handle himself in a fight.

Didn't mean Gabriel had to like it.

He'd entered the main warehouse and found himself in a large room with a rusting roll-up door on one side and what appeared to be a small office on the other. The lighting was dim, but he could see clearly. He reached out with his other senses, including sense of smell.

There was definitely a djinn in the warehouse, probably on the side where Sam had entered. Gabriel had not encountered many of the creatures in his Trickster days, but he had met enough to recognize their foul stench.

If the monster was so close to Sam, he needed to move. Wishing he dared fly, he settled for walking quickly across the cluttered floor, again little danger to one such as him.

However, before he could reach the other side, his bond with Sam went…not dead…but very faint, as if Sam had been knocked unconscious.

Low grace be damned. He mustered his reserves, which took too damned long, and flew to where he'd last sensed Sam.

He appeared in a small room, stinking of sex and smoke, but it was empty of everything except broken furniture and the fading odor of the monster and his bondmate.

Damn!

Gabriel reached out through the bond. He could sense that Sam was alive, but not where he was. He suspected that meant the djinn had already poisoned him and, as far as Sam was concerned, his self wasn't where his physical body was present. That was going to make it tricky to find him.

He looked around the room in disgust. This was no fit place to be searching for Sam. Fine. Back to the Impala.

He ran from the warehouse, moving at a speed far beyond that of a human, but just then he didn’t care who saw him. Right now, all that mattered was finding Sam.

Arriving at the car, he cursed having given the keys to Sam. Well, he was an archangel and former Trickster. One puny lock was no impediment to another fine application of grace.

The lock popped, and Gabriel climbed into the driver's seat. He closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of Sam. It already sang of home to him. Then he reached out through the bond. He _would_ find him. There were no other options.

***

As soon as Michael fled, Dean turned to Jack. "Have the angels help the rebels pack up the camp. We need to get out of here as soon as possible. You drove off Michael for now, but he'll be back as soon as he can assemble more angels."

Jack nodded and trotted off.

"Griff and I will help Bobby and Mary," Ketch said before heading off in the opposite direction, followed by Griff.

Dean nodded to himself. Griff could be the most help right now getting the rebels moving. He could collect him when it was time to take the angel contingent in another direction.

He sighed in relief. For the moment, everyone knew what to do. Which meant he could finally go where his heart was directing him. To Cas and Castiel.

On the way to their tent, he did divert to the weapons tent to grab an assault rifle and several magazines of angel killing bullets. He wasn't getting caught ill-prepared again. He intended to have one of those at his side until he left this place for his own world.

He didn't hesitate when he arrived at the tent, pushing back the flap and entering without breaking stride. Cas' head shot up at his approach, and he stood up, gathering Dean into a tight hug.

Dean hugged back, sensing his angel's worry through their bond. "I'm here, Cas. I'm fine."

"What happened?" Cas asked, breaking the hug with obvious reluctance.

"Michael happened, but we were lucky."

"How so?" Cas asked, tilting his head questioningly.

"He didn't bring enough angels with him. At a guess, he didn't realize Jack had bonded so many."

Cas nodded. "That would make sense. He would have sensed when their bonds to him broke, but he might have thought they had gone rogue. It wouldn’t have occurred to him that they might have bonded to another."

"Well, he damn well knows now, so we need to move the camp and quickly."

Cas shook his head, his expression growing grave. "We can't move him, Dean. He'll die if we do. I'm barely keeping him alive as it is."

Dean's gaze flicked to the battered angel on the bed. "I get that, Cas." An idea was filtering through his awareness. The strange pull he felt to the angel. The way he'd apparently tapped into his memories. The effect a human soul had an on angel.

Oh, shit! That was it. The effect a human soul had on an angel's power level. Cas couldn’t heal Castiel, but maybe Castiel could heal himself, if he had a power boost.

Cas was still regarding him, head tilted. Dean suspected he'd followed some of this thoughts but hadn't yet put it all together.

Would it work? Was it even possible to bond two angels?

He'd deliberately shared that thought with Cas, whose blue eyes widened. "Dean?" was all he managed to say.

"Well, would it work? Assuming it's even possible?"

He felt Cas working through the same evidence he'd examined, and he felt the click as everything snapped into place, and the angel came to the same conclusion Dean had come to. He nodded slowly. "I think it's possible, and it might work. But Dean—" Cas met his gaze straight on. "I don't know if it's been done. I've never heard of anyone bonding two angels before."

"But it _can_ be done?"

"I think so." He glanced down at Castiel. "I'd have to guide the process, but I believe I can do that."

"Would it give him the boost he needs to heal?" Dean asked.

"Again, I think so. Since it's never been done, it's hard to say."

"But human souls juice up angels, right? You never said this bond thing is one way only. It makes sense that he'd be able to draw on my soul the same way I draw on your grace."

Cas nodded, uncertain at first, but becoming more confident. "It does make sense. But, you must understand, Dean, that you would be bonding both of us. This isn't a temporary thing. You will be bonded to him as long as you both shall live."

Okay, it wasn't creepy at all that Cas basically used a line from a wedding vow. However, if Dean was being honest about it, that was pretty much what this was. It’s not like he saw himself ever loving anyone else. Which was Cas' point. If Dean was going to bond Castiel, he was tying himself to the second angel as firmly as he was tied to Cas. Dean gazed down at the angel on the cot. Did he love him? No. _Could_ he love him? He suspected the answer was yes. Castiel was enough like Cas to evoke many of the same emotions while being different enough to be intriguing.

Finally, Dean said, "Yes, I understand, and I'm okay with it." He motioned at the still figure. "But what about him? If we do this, we're doing it without his consent, and that rubs me the wrong way, even if we are doing it to save his life."

Cas smiled. "Let me take care of that. I can communicate with him, even in this state. I believe I can ascertain his wishes on this matter."

Dean nodded. "Then you'd better get going with that." He could hear the bustle of the camp around them. "We need to clear this camp as quickly as we can."

Cas shook his head. "We don’t have time to do this before the camp is packed and ready to go. We need one of the angels to fly us somewhere safe."

Dean gave his angel a cocky grin. "Uh, Cas. Aren't you forgetting something?"

Cas gave him a questioning look. "I do not believe that I am, Dean."

Dean's grin never slipped as he said, both through the bond and out loud. "We've just determined that this bond goes both ways."

"Yes, Dean. What is your point?"

Dean was enjoying this, perhaps a bit too much. "Draw on my soul to heal your wings, Cas. No reason you can't fly us out of here yourself."

Cas' eyes widened as he understood what Dean was saying. "I…I'd never…"

Dean reached out a hand to his angel. "Do it, buddy. Heal your wings and get us someplace safe so we can bond ourselves another angel."

***

Sam opened his eyes and smiled. Lucifer was gone. Michael had been defeated. Dean and Cas were bonded. Life was good.

He reached over to the other side of the bed and found a warm thigh.

"Hey, kiddo," came the fond voice of his archangel.

Sam turned over. "Hey, yourself."

"Dean and Cas came back last night and said they'd found a case."

Sam ran a hand along Gabriel's thigh, moving slowly but steadily higher. His angel closed his eyes and hummed. Sam stopped just shy of his cock and lowered his eyes provocatively. "Want me to keep going?"

"When have I ever said 'no' to that?" Gabriel responded, his voice low and husky.

Sam pursed his brow, as if he were thinking. "Well, there was that one time…"

The angel let out a huff and tried to grab Sam's hand. The human moved it just out of reach. Gabriel mock-frowned. "My baby bro had been missing for three days. You'll forgive me if I wasn't in the mood under the circumstances."

"He wasn't missing. Dean had just taken him away for a long weekend of debauchery. As I had tried to tell you, but, no. You wouldn't believe me."

Gabriel leaned forward, breath sweet in Sam's face. "You know I still get a bit antsy when I can't reach one of my family members."

Sam put his hand back. "Yeah. I know. You're so sexy when you get all protective." He kissed Gabriel. It was as good as it always was.

But something wasn't quite right. Lucifer was gone? Wasn't he? But how had they defeated him? Why couldn't he remember?

Gabriel's hand moved to tweak one nipple, and suddenly Lucifer's fate didn't seem all that important.

***

Gabriel reached out through the bond, searching for any sign of Sam. He could feel him and knew he was alive, but something was preventing him from finding his location. He pushed harder, trying to get a sense of what Sam was feeling. It might not give him a location, but it might give him something to get a fix on.

Oh!

Well, good to know what made up a perfect life for Sam. And that he wasn't in pain.

Unfortunately, it didn’t help him with a location.

He opened his eyes and leaned back against the headrest. _Think, Gabriel. You’re a fucking Archangel of the Lord. Just because you don't always believe it doesn’t make it a lie. You can find a human. Or…_

His thoughts stuttered to a halt as he contemplated a different approach.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided on a bonus chapter this weekend, just to make the three-way bonding an official thing. Enjoy!

The rest of the camp bustled around them, but all was still in the tent. Dean could feel Cas thinking, working out the right way to do this. They were bonded, which Dean hoped meant they could avoid Cas sticking his hand into his stomach.

Finally, Cas nodded and said, "Sit down, Dean. While this will not be as draining as drawing on your soul if you were unbonded, it will still fatigue you."

"Will I have enough left to heal Castiel if you do this?"

"I believe so, yes. If I thought otherwise, we would find another way."

Dean sat down, but as soon as he did, the tent flap opened, and Mary poked her head in. "The camp is mostly packed. This is one of the few tents left."

"We need a few minutes, please," Cas said. "If all goes as we hope, you will be able to have the tent soon."

Mary motioned to Castiel. "Are you going to be able to do something for him?"

"That's what we are trying," Cas answered.

Dean carefully remained silent, not wanting to tip his mother off to what was happening. While he trusted Cas to not hurt him, he didn't fancy the idea of trying to explain this to her.

"All right. Let us know when we can have this tent."

"We will," Cas answered.

Mary gave Dean a puzzled look, probably confused that her son was letting the angel do all the talking. Dean gave her a smile, and she smiled back before leaving.

As soon as she was gone, Dean let the smile slip. He doubted he was going to be in a smiling mood soon.

Cas knelt down and placed a hand over Dean's stomach. He instinctively tensed up, but the angel smoothed a hand over his shirt. "Don't worry. I won't need to do any more than this." With his other hand, he gripped the back of Dean's head and brought him in for a bruising kiss.

Dean had not been expecting that, but he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity, and he kissed back. Moments after their mouths touched, Dean felt something stir deep inside him. It seemed to be reaching out to Cas through their bond. It didn't hurt, but it was uncomfortable. He tried to pull back, but Cas' hand held him still.

The kiss distracted Dean just enough to allow him to endure a sensation which felt uncomfortably like his insides being pulled from his body. As uncomfortable as it was he sensed something was happening. He opened one eye. A blue-white glow permeated the entire tent, and Cas was almost too bright to look at.

Just then, Cas broke the kiss and threw his head back. Dean started to stand up. Cas' expression was one of fiery agony, but a surge down their bond halted him.

_No, Dean. Almost._

Cas' expression shifted from agony to something almost like sexual frenzy. His eyes widened, shining the silver blue of grace. He glowed brighter, but Dean didn't need to close his eyes. This grace was familiar to him.

The pull inside him intensified, but now it was almost sexual in nature as well. He felt himself harden, and he gritted his teeth against the arousal, understanding at some level that he didn't dare distract Cas at this point.

Moments later, several things happened.

The glow around Cas erupted outwards.

Dean became aware, although he didn't know how, that all the angels in the camp appeared outside the tent at the same moment.

Cas' wings erupted from his back, not just their shadow, but, to Dean's sight, the actual wings. He had just enough time to notice their beauty before Cas vanished.

And Dean collapsed on the bed, exhausted.

***

Gabriel sat back in the Impala and considered. He couldn't find Sam through the bond, but Sam wasn't the only creature he could search for. He'd never done a search for a djinn before, but that didn't mean he couldn't do it. He just needed to figure out what to look for.

He knew the scent of a djinn, but he would need to be in close proximity before he could track using scent. Besides, the idea of acting like a bloodhound did not appeal. Oh, he'd do it if that were the only way to find Sam, but he preferred to find an approach that was a bit more dignified.

What else could he use to find a djinn? What set them apart from other creatures that he could use to start a search? If they had souls, he could find that. Angels could find souls, unless they were hidden in some way, like when Cas had carved those damned sigils on Sam's ribs. He'd had to get creative to find them to insert them into TV land. Ah, still some of his best work.

However pleasant the memory, it didn't help him now. Djinn, like all monsters, had no soul. Which meant there was nothing to find. Unless…

Gabriel sat straight up, eyes wide. Actually, there was something to find. He could potentially find a lack of something. The absence of a soul in a body would leave a hole different from the absence of bodies.

But how to construct the search?

He sat back again and started manipulating grace. First, the shield. He could look for Sam without shielding because the bond itself was shielded. For this, though, he needed to be shielded. No point in attracting Lucifer's attention too early. Once his shield was in place, he formed a tendril of grace and, as clearly as he could, he visualized the absence of a soul. He focused on what it would feel like and look like to an angel's senses.

Then he reached out with his tendril of grace and began his search. It didn't take long. The djinn hadn't gotten far. It was still in the industrial park, just in a different building.

Gabriel considered not flying, for about half a second.

He flew to the djinn's lair, landing right next to the monster. Gabriel stumbled. Flying two times in such rapid succession, even for such short distances, had left him weaker than he'd prefer.

Fortunately, the djinn was not expecting him, and Gabriel had his blade out instantly, plunging it into the djinn's dark heart.

The monster dropped.

Gabriel didn't relax. Djinn often had mates, and he didn't want to be surprised by another angry monster.

Nothing came charging him for several long moments, and he thought it was safe enough to put away his blade.

Sam was lying on the ground, face down in a puddle of filthy water. Rage flowed through Gabriel at the treatment of his mate, and he dropped down beside Sam, turning him over and cradling his head in his arms.

_Sam!_

The man stirred, shifted closer to Gabriel.

_Gabe?_

The angel breathed out in relief. His mate was alive and aware. He kissed Sam's lips and was relieved when the man opened his eyes. Confusion reigned in those hazel orbs, but Gabriel could feel through the bond that he would be all right.

He checked his reserves. Low, but he didn't care.

Gabriel flew back to the Impala.

***

Mary threw open the tent flap and charged into the tent. "Dean! What—" She broke off, and her head moved back and forth. "Where's Cas?"

Dean couldn't answer for a moment. Between his sudden exhaustion and the sheer joy surging down his bond, he couldn’t think for a moment. Plus, he was smiling so wide his face almost hurt.

Cas reappeared, and Mary took a step back. "Cas. You can fly again?"

Cas' smile was blinding. "Yes. I can."

He dropped down beside Dean, placed a hand on his forehead, and grace flowed into him, banishing his fatigue in an instant. Dean leaned forward and hugged his angel, hard. "We can do this, can't we?"

Cas hugged him back and said, his head buried in Dean's shoulder, "Yes, we can."

They broke apart and Dean turned to his mother. "You can have this tent now. We're going to heal Castiel, and then we will rejoin you."

Mary looked back and forth between Dean and Cas. "But how?"

"No time, Mom. Castiel doesn't have much longer. Just trust us, and we'll see you soon."

She nodded.

As Dean had been speaking, Cas had been gathering up Castiel, holding him gently. "Dean."

"Right here, buddy." Dean put a hand on Cas' shoulder, and they flew.

It was different when he flew with Cas, as opposed to Hael. He could feel the flow of grace around them, and he sensed the presence of Cas' wings enfolding them. The flight seemed to take longer, even though he knew it was just as fast as it had always been. It was like he was experiencing it a little bit in the way angels did.

_You are_ , Cas said as they landed in the safe house where Castiel had healed Gabriel last year. Dean nodded. It was fitting they do this here.

There was a sagging bed, and Cas laid the injured angel on it. Dean eyed it doubtfully. It looked barely large enough for the three of them.

Cas suddenly laughed. "Not this time, Dean."

"What?" Dean asked.

"He's in no shape for a sex ritual. That's not the only way to form a bond."

"Oh," Dean said, feeling heat rise in his face.

_There will be time enough for that later._

Dean had a image of the three of them together, and he decided he liked the idea. What did that make him?

_Horny._

Dean shot his angel a look. "Are we going to do this thing, or are you going to continue to mock and tease me?"

Cas' expression sobered. "We should do this. He's slipping away. First, however, I need to ask for his consent."

"Any way I can be a part of that conversation?"

Cas thought for a moment. "I believe so, yes." He motioned to the bed. "Sit down beside him. Touch him somewhere."

Dean sat down. "Anywhere in particular?"

Cas sat down cross-legged on the floor in front of Dean. "Whatever feels right."

Dean considered for a moment and finally took Castiel's hand in his. He held it carefully as most of the shattered bones shifted in even his gentle grip.

Cas nodded and reached out to touch Castiel lightly on the leg. He closed his eyes, and Dean followed suit. Cas opened up the bond to Dean as wide as he'd ever felt it, and Dean took a moment to enjoy their closeness.

He felt grace move through him and into Castiel. No words were exchanged, but Dean sensed…communion… was the best word. Using a mixture of images and ideas—Dean wasn’t sure how he knew that, but he did—Cas explained about the bonding and their reasons for it. Castiel indicated that he understood. Cas asked for consent. There was a pause, and Dean knew Castiel was working through the implications. The sense of a question came his way. Dean sent back an affirmative.

_Yes_

It came through as the actual word, and Dean heard it as clearly as he heard Cas.

_All right_ , Cas sent. _Let me bind us together_

Dean hadn't been sure what to expect, but what happened next felt right. Somehow Cas reached out and took a piece of Dean's soul and joined it with a strand of Castiel's grace. Then he wrapped it all around in his own grace.

As soon as his soul touched Castiel's grace, Dean felt pain, despair and loss surge through him. He called on his decades as a hunter to brace himself against the onslaught. For a moment, he thought he was going to lose himself, but he fought back, found himself and recovered his balance. Without knowing how, he drew on his bond with Cas to give himself the last bit of strength to hold on.

_Dean!_

_I'm fine, Cas. Finish it_

He felt assent from his angel, and Dean concentrated on what was happening. Cas continued to bind soul and grace, adding his own into the mixture, which Dean "saw" as a tapestry of silver blue and vibrant green, which he realized must be his own soul.

It seemed to take forever and no time at all, but finally, something settled deep in Dean's bones, and he felt the presence of two angels.

_Now, Castiel!_

Dean felt Castiel grab for his soul. His grip faltered and just barely missed. Without knowing exactly what he did, Dean reached out and gripped Castiel tight, raising him from the depths of pain.

Castiel pulled on his soul, more deeply than Cas had. This time the sensation went beyond discomfort and fully into pain. Just when Dean thought he couldn't stand it anymore, the cool silver of Cas' grace enfolded him, soothing the pain and allowing him to tolerate the process.

There was another explosion of grace, and the grip on his soul vanished.

Dean opened his eyes. He still held Castiel's hand, but now the angel was sitting up, still naked but no longer bleeding.

Dark eyes met his. "Hello, Dean."


	14. Chapter 14

Sam was disoriented. One moment he'd been at the Bunker, having some of the best sex he'd ever had. The next, he was cold and wet in some sort of warehouse. Gabriel was there, but he'd been able to feel the worry and rage in his archangel.

Now he was in the Impala, still cradled in Gabriel's arms.

"What happened?"

_How much do you remember?_

Shit! Gabriel was speaking through the bond. That meant something bad had happened. He reached out and noticed how low his grace reserves were. Sam shook his head, trying to remember.

_Sam?_

"Be quiet for a minute and let me think."

Energy, love and reassurance flowed to him through the bond. Finally, Sam remembered. "The djinn?"

_Yes. It took you._

"And you found me."

_I will always find you, Sam_

Sam shifted into a roughly upright position. He recognized their surroundings now. He turned to reverse the embrace, holding Gabriel close, knowing his angel would need the reassurance that he was alive and well.

"Thank you. You did well."

A tiny bit of pride peeked through the wave of emotion flowing into Sam.

"Were there any other victims?" Sam asked.

Chagrin replaced pride.

Sam kissed the top of Gabriel's head. "Well, all right. Maybe you were a bit distracted."

He felt the angel thinking.

"No, there were no other people there," Gabriel finally said.

Sam didn't bother to ask if he was sure. He wouldn't have said it otherwise. "Okay, then." He looked down at himself. What? Had he been lying in a puddle or something?

"Actually, yes, you were."

"Gross. Well then I need a shower. Let's get back to the hotel." He considered for a moment. "I'm still shaky. Can you drive?"

Gabriel nudged him over to the passenger side and held out his hand. Sam rummaged in his pocket and found the keys, which he handed over. Gabriel started the car and drove out of the parking lot.

Sam sat back in his seat, closing his eyes, trying to put all the pieces back together.

"Can I ask you something?" Gabriel asked.

"Sure," Sam said.

"Your ideal life. You know. The one the djinn poison showed you?"

"Yeah," Sam said. "What about it?"

"It didn't seem that much different from your life right now."

Sam smiled at the confusion in Gabriel's voice. "Pretty much, yeah."

"But that can't be right."

Sam opened his eyes and turned to face his angel. "Why not? Like I've said before, this is the life I want right now." He remembered the vision. "The four of us, Lucifer gone, Michael dealt with. Us just hunting together."

"That's your ideal life?" Gabriel didn’t sound like he could believe it.

"Yeah." Sam was curious. "So you could sense what I was experiencing?"

"Of course. It didn't help me find you because you thought you were in the bunker, but yes, I had a good sense of what you were up to in the vision."

Sam blushed, remembering that part of the vision had been quite…explicit.

"Yeah, I got that part too." A teasing tone came into his voice. "We are heading back to a hotel with a king sized bed."

True. "Think you could drive a little faster?"

Gabriel laughed, and the Impala leaped forward.

***

"Hello, Dean."

It wasn't in Cas' whiskey-over-gravel voice, but the tone and inflection was the same as when his angel said it to him. Dean wasn't sure what to think about that. Nor about the green eyes and blond hair which were so different from Cas.

He felt Castiel examine the bond, stretching down it and reaching gently inside Dean. It felt both familiar and completely strange. He tried to ignore the fact that the angel was naked. Between that visual and the gentle stroking along the bond, Dean wasn't able to concentrate on missions, saving the world or much of everything else.

He felt a chuckle through the bond followed by _Later, perhaps._

Okay, there were definite disadvantages to this. He didn't like having his emotions and thoughts on display.

Castiel pulled back with a soft _Sorry._

Cas spoke to him. _Yes, he is interested._ A sense of wonder came through as he added _In both of us, apparently._

_Can he hear this?_

_No. I will show you how to create a sort of private channel._

_Good. You also need to show me how to keep some semblance of privacy. A guy might like to keep a few thoughts to himself._

_I will show you._

Apparently Castiel had finished his exploration because he raised his head to regard both of them. Again, Dean was struck by the similarities and differences to Cas. The two angels looked nothing alike, but Dean knew they were fundamentally the same beings.

"So you finally got around to bonding Dean," Castiel said, his tone matter of fact. "About time."

"You sound like Gabriel," Cas said.

Castiel smiled, the expression more natural on his face than on Cas'. "I have been looking forward to seeing him again." He nodded to both Dean and Cas, somehow indicating the bond. "I assume from this that we are in Phase Two."

Dean said, "Yes. Gabriel said he couldn't teach Jack anything else. Sam and Gabriel are going to recruit Lucifer."

Castiel frowned. He'd never been happy with that part of the plan either. "Thank you for the rescue." He motioned to Dean. "And for allowing me to draw on your soul to heal myself. I had resigned myself to my fate, but I am glad it did not come to pass." He grinned, the expression much more like Gabriel than Cas. "The bonding, however. That was unexpected."

Dean felt himself blushing, and Castiel raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so it was your idea?"

"Stop teasing my human, brother," Cas chided gently.

Castiel's grin didn't slip. "I don't think you are the only one who can lay claim to him anymore."

Cas gave him a chagrined nod.

"Maybe if we got back to the saving the world part," Dean said, both amused and disturbed to the way both angels were discussing him as if he weren't present. "What happened to you? How did you get captured?"

Castiel stood up, completely unconcerned about his nudity, and paced the small room. "You were right, Dean. Michael did figure out my little sterilization trick, and he wasn't happy about it. He was attempting to persuade me to reverse it. He was quite insistent upon it."

"Did you?" Dean was concerned, but not overly. If all went well, this entire thing would be over before a Nephilim could be born.

"No. I made sure it was irreversible when I did it. However, my brother wasn't convinced. Fortunately, he was so distracted by it that he forgot to ask me about other things, like our plans. He still doesn’t know about you or Jack."

Dean winced. "Well, about that."

Castiel straightened. "What do you mean?"

Cas answered. "Jack was with us when we rescued you. Apparently Gabriel decided to teach him to summon and bind angels and didn’t bother to tell us he'd done it. So, Jack bound about half of the angels in the camp where you were being held."

Castiel's green eyes widened in delight. "Did he? Good for my brother. And Jack can do it." His expression grew thoughtful. "This makes recruitment easier. I hadn't considered that possibility. I had hoped Jack's presence would convince a few of my brethren to sever their ties to Michael and join our cause, but I hadn't considered that Jack would be able to bind their loyalty."

He stopped and looked at Dean. "I remember you from the rescue. Does that mean Michael knows about you as well?"

"Yes," Dean said. "He knows that his perfect vessel is over here. I don’t think he saw me on the rescue but he attacked the rebel camp just a couple of hours ago." At the look of alarm from Castiel, he hastily added, "He wasn't expecting Jack and didn't want to have that confrontation just yet. We've moved the camp."

Castiel frowned. "I would have preferred he not know about either of you so soon. However—" He shrugged. "It is what it is. We can modify the plan accordingly. How much longer do you have here until Gabriel reopens the Rift?"

Dean had actually lost track of time, and he panicked for a moment. Fortunately, he was accompanied by an angel with perfect time sense. "Approximately ninety-six hours left."

Castiel nodded. "That's not much time. We should go." He glanced over at his brother and smiled. "It's good to see your wings healed, brother."

Cas nodded back. "There are unexpected advantages to this bond for angels."

Castiel gave an eye waggle that was worthy of Gabriel. "Oh, I intend to explore as many of them as possible."

Dean started wondering if bonding a second angel had really been a good idea.


	15. Chapter 15

When they got back to their hotel room Gabriel grabbed Sam, pushed him up against a wall and kissed him thoroughly. Sam didn't mind at all, having been unable to distract himself from thoughts of his angel's hands and mouth during the entire drive.

He remembered the suit from earlier and reached down, grabbing his ass with both hands. Even in his need, he was careful exactly where he placed his hands, but then he pulled Gabriel closer to him. Finally! Some welcome friction against his hardening cock.

_You really liked that suit, didn't you?_ Smugness accompanied the words.

_You know I did._

_Yeah, but I like to hear it._

_Needy bastard. Yes. I liked the suit._

During their silent conversation, Gabriel had managed to get Sam's layers of shirts removed, without using grace to avoid disrupting the kiss. Now his hands roamed Sam's torso, tweaking both nipples before plunging his hands down into Sam's pants.

Sam groaned as clever fingers found his cock and started moving in ways guaranteed to make him forget just about everything except how they made him feel.

Gabriel started to drop to his knees, but Sam had just enough presence of mind to stop him.

"Huh?"

"I think I said _you_ looked good enough to eat," Sam said with a cheeky grin.

"Oh. Well, when you put it _that_ way." He stood up and leaned against the wall, head thrown back.

Sam knelt down, unfastening the button on Gabriel's jeans as he went down. He slowly pulled the zipper, intentionally putting extra pressure into the motion.

"Sam! Are you going to tease or actually do something?" Gabriel said with a whine.

"Depends on how nicely you ask," Sam said as he slid jeans down to the floor. Gabriel's cock was tenting his boxers, the tip extending above the waistline, already leaking.

"Please."

Sam mouthed him through the fabric for a moment before stopping and looking up. Gabriel's eyes were closed, and he had slid partway down the wall. Sam steadied him and waited.

"Please, Dad be damned!"

"For shame. Using your Father's name in vain," Sam teased, hooking his fingers into the waistband of his boxers and starting to pull them down. Again, he stopped.

"Not sure what you're going for here, Sammich!"

Sam laughed, ripped off the boxers and swallowed as much of him as he could. Gabriel was big, and Sam loved it.

_That's what you were waiting for?_

_Nah. Got bored._

Sam used tongue, teeth and lips, knowing from long practice exactly what his angel liked. It didn't take long before Gabriel was muttering incomprehensibly in several languages. He loved it when he did that, even though he had no idea what any of it meant.

He hollowed his cheeks, sucked as hard as he could, and Gabriel came explosively into his mouth.

Sam swallowed it down and pulled off. Gabriel slid down the wall to collapse in a boneless heap on the floor. Sam put an arm around him and pulled him close. His cock also desired some attention, but, for the moment, he was content with this.

He tried not to think about the vision of his perfect life, not wanting to upset Gabriel right now, but apparently he was unsuccessful.

"Really, Sam? Not even in your perfect future?" he asked, his tone disbelieving.

Sam kissed the top of his head. "Really. I've said before that I don’t care about that. I've never had anybody up my ass, so I don't know what I'm missing."

"That's not really the direction I'm missing," Gabriel said. He reached out a hand, unbuttoning Sam's jeans. Sam shifted position to give him access.

Seriously, what was there to miss when he could do that with just fingers?

***

Both Cas and Dean had been a bit distracted when the decision for the location of the new angel camp had been decided. Fortunately, Castiel knew the area and was able to make some shrewd guesses where they would end up. It only took them four tries to find the right place.

Considering that Castiel was stark naked, Dean thought it was probably a good thing that they had landed in the angel camp. None of them paid him any attention. He could only imagine what the human rebels would have said, and he was surprised at how protective he was feeling toward his new bond mate.

Castiel laughed at him through their bond. _I think I would have enjoyed that. Perhaps I should land naked in their camp to see if you are right._

_How about not?_ Dean sent back in indignation. He felt agreement from Cas.

_You two are no fun!_ Castiel sent as he strode to where three angels were putting up an equipment tent. He rummaged through a couple of boxes and quickly assembled his customary uniform.

"He is more like Gabriel than I had realized," Cas said.

Dean didn’t want to think too much about how true that seemed.

He sensed amusement from his second angel.

Once dressed, Castiel said, "I'd like to talk to Jack and hear what else my brother from your world discussed with him. If your Gabriel is anything like mine was, he has plans within plans."

Sorrow at the loss of this world's Gabriel still lurked within Castiel.

"How long ago was it?" Dean asked.

"Three hundred forty-two years, six months, twelve days and fourteen hours," was the flat reply.

Dean was so glad he didn't have an angel's time sense.

_It can be a problem at times_

Interestingly enough, Dean wasn't certain which angel had said that.

Castiel walked unerringly toward Jack, who was conferring with several of his angels about plans to guard the camp. Castiel politely waited at a distance until they were finished. Jack turned to them, stepping forward to give the angel a huge hug. Castiel hugged back, seemingly unperturbed by the human gesture.

"You're better!" Jack exclaimed as they separated. He got a contemplative look on his face before his eyes widened, and he added, his voice low, "You've bonded them."

Cas let loose a string of what sounded like expletives. In Enochian. Dean thought that Gabriel had been an influence on both versions of the angel.

Castiel's head shot around to look at Cas. A moment later, he got a look of disgust on his face. "You've concealed your bond with Dean but not my bond with both of you."

"Correct," Cas said.

He concentrated for several moments before Jack started nodding. "That does it. I can't see it anymore."

"Good catch, Jack," Castiel said.

"Thanks. It's good to have you back with us." He gestured around the camp. "Do you see? I have my own angels."

Castiel gave him a fond smile. Considering he had spent little time with Jack, Dean was surprised to see how affectionate the expression was. "I see. That's very good. I didn't realize your uncle had planned that."

Jack sobered. "That's because he didn't want to talk about it until he was certain I could bind them."

Castiel took Jack's arm and led him away from the other angels. Cas and Dean followed.

When they were some distance away, Castiel led them all to a couple of downed logs and indicated they should all sit down.

"I wanted a bit of privacy for this. Jack, can you please indicate that your angels should not attempt to eavesdrop?"

Jack concentrated for a moment before nodding. "Done."

"Good. So, Gabriel taught you to bind angels. Do you know why?"

"You mean other than denying Michael as many as possible?" Jack asked.

"Yes. If your version of my brother is anything like mine was, he doesn't often do things for just one reason."

Dean sat forward. Castiel was right, and he should have thought of it already.

_You have been distracted._

This time Dean knew it was his newer angel speaking to him.

Jack paused for several long moments before sitting back on his log. "You're right. He did have another idea. I'm not certain I'm supposed to tell you all, though."

Dean felt it was time for him to be a part of it. "I know Gabriel has been accustomed to keeping things close to the vest, but we need to make plans, and we'll do that better if we know more of what he is thinking."

Cas and Castiel both nodded their agreement, and Jack sighed. "All right. He wants to try to repopulate our Heaven with angels from this world." He aimed his words at Castiel, and Dean completely understood why Jack had been uncomfortable talking about this part of the plan.

Castiel shot to his feet. "He wants to do what?"

Dean thought he could see a hint of Castiel's wings outstretched to their full span behind him. He realized Cas had also stood up and was mirroring his counterpart's display.

Great. Two pissed off angels.

"Sit back down, both of you," Dean said, again using the command voice he had learned from John Winchester. He suppressed his surprise when both angels folded back their wings and sat down on their respective logs.

"All right" Dean said. "I can see why you're upset, Castiel, and I don't know if it's the right answer, but I can see where Gabriel is coming from. We are down to ten angels in our Heaven. That's causing problems. Gabriel is our world's only Archangel who can potentially solve it, and I know he's been feeling the responsibility."

Gabriel had never spoken of it before, but Dean could recognize the concern and responsibility in his expression when the subject had come up.

Castiel started to say something, but Dean waved him to silence. "Are all of this world's angels involved in this conflict?"

Through the bond, he could feel Castiel's emotions go still, as if they were concealing themselves from an observer. In a way, Dean thought, they kind of were.

"No," he finally said.

"And your Heaven is stable?" Dean pressed.

"Yes."

One word answers and a carefully shuttered bond told Dean everything he needed to know.

"Then you don't, strictly speaking, need all the angels you have down here?"

Castiel's shoulders slumped. "No." He straightened again almost immediately. "But they belong to this world. It's not our fault your Heaven tore itself apart!"

Jack spoke now, his tone even. "No, it's not. And it's not our fault your world is befouled by your Apocalypse. However, we are helping you."

"Because you know Michael is planning to go to your world to do the same. Don't assume I am so stupid not to see that assisting in this world also helps yours."

"I think you know very well that I don't think you're stupid," Dean said. He still wasn't very good at sending emotion down the bond, especially when it was shuttered as tightly as Castiel had locked down his end. However, he did his best to send confidence in the angel's ability. A moment later, he sensed Cas doing the same thing, which was encouraging. It meant that, even though Cas had originally had reservations, he was still willing to support Dean.

"And I think by now, it should be obvious that we are all helping each other here. It may be that we can come up with a better plan, but at least now we know what Gabriel is thinking about."

"Is my brother planning to have you rule in Heaven or himself?" Cas asked.

Dean thought it was an excellent question.

Jack looked somewhat embarrassed. "I think he was thinking about me."

"Why?" Castiel asked, sounding more confused than angry now.

However, it was Cas who answered. "I suspect he does not want to be separated from Sam. If he were ruling Heaven, there would be long periods of time when they would be apart."

Which is when Dean suddenly realized the flaw in their own bonding. Castiel would stay here, on this side of the Rift. While he and Cas would go back to their world. Loss filled him, and he had to struggle to keep his emotions off his face.

He couldn’t conceal it in the bond, however, and both angels sent him strength and reassurance.

_We'll figure something out_

The message came from both of them, which would have amused him if he weren't still overcome with despair.

He'd just gotten Castiel. How could he lose him so soon?


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally. The poly wink kink chapter that almost ended me!

They had eventually made it to the bed. After nearly losing Sam to the djinn, Gabriel wasn't letting his human out of his sight or away from his touch anytime soon. The case had wrapped up quickly, and, while they needed to get on the road to find Lucifer, they still had some time.

Gabriel was sitting up, back against the headboard. Sam was curled up, his head in the angel's lap. Gabriel could tell that he was almost, but not quite, asleep.

Suddenly, something shifted in his awareness, and his hand, which had been gently petting Sam's hair, froze.

Sam came alert with a start. "What's wrong?"

Gabriel shook his head. "Well, that was unexpected and may interfere with one of my plans."

Sam shook up, shaking his hair back from his face. "What was unexpected?"

"Assuming I'm not misunderstanding what I just felt, our brothers just bonded Castiel."

Sam blinked. "They did what?"

"You heard me. It appears that they bonded Castiel."

"Is that even possible?"

Gabriel shrugged and pulled Sam back into his lap. "I wouldn't have considered it, but I guess it would be. Especially since Cas and Castiel are so similar in their grace."

Sam got a thoughtful look on his face, and Gabriel grinned when he caught the thought. "Does that mean Dean/Cas/AU!Cas? My brother in a threesome?"

"If their reaction to the bonding is anything like ours or Dean and Cas before they left, I'd say it’s an excellent possibility."

"Eew!" Sam said. "I so did not need that image!"

"For once, Sammich, I am not responsible. You did that one to yourself."

"I know. That makes it worse." He lay still for a few moments before asking, "So what did you mean by it messing up one of your plans?"

Gabriel stretched his back as he answered. "Well, two Heavens and only one archangel. We've already determined that I'm not going to rule this Heaven, nor was I planning to move to Apocalypse World, which leaves things in a bind. Even though it's not my world, I don't feel right leaving them without someone to keep their Heaven in order."

"You weren't planning on producing a Nephilim of your own, were you?" Sam asked.

Gabriel rather enjoyed the spike of jealousy and possessiveness that shot through their link. He stretched again, this one more of a preen than an easing of sore muscles. "No, Sam. You know I skip over the mpreg stories."

Sam sat up again, his back straight and eyes wide. "Wait! You're not saying that's possible?"

Gabriel dissolved into a fit of giggles. When he could speak again, Sam was giving him one of his classic bitchfaces. "No, Sam. Fortunately, that's just something for fanfic. Even angels can't impregnate a man."

Sam sat back, the tension leaving his muscles. "Good. Because there's no way I'm going to walk around with a baby bump."

Gabriel gave a little shudder. He scrolled quickly past pictures like that on Tumblr. It was his least favorite fanfic trope, and the only one he refused to read. "It wouldn't be a good look for you."

"So then how were you planning on finding someone to lead their Heaven?"

"Well," Gabriel drew out the word. "I had Castiel in mind."

"He's not an archangel."

"Not yet," Gabriel agreed. "However, I believe that I can capture Au!Michael's grace when we defeat him and invest it into Castiel."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Which would make him an archangel?"

"Which would make him an archangel," Gabriel said, his tone smug.

Sam looked as if he were thinking it through. "That's a really good idea. He has the respect of the other angels, and he seems to have the right attitude for it. As long as you can invest him with the power, I think that would work."

"Or rather, it would have worked until Cas and your brother went and bonded him. I'm assuming he won't want to be separated from them any more than I want to be separated from you." He held Sam a bit tighter.

"Good point," Sam said. "What's Plan B?"

Gabriel shook his head. "Not sure yet. I'll think of something."

"He might go for the idea anyway," Sam said after a moment.

"How so?"

"Well, that's his world. This one isn't. If he's an archangel, he can open up the Rift anytime he likes. He might prefer to stay there."

Now it was Gabriel's turn to grow thoughtful. He hadn't thought of that, and he certainly didn't want to push the angel in a direction he didn't want to go, but that was a possibility. "As an archangel, his grace would be strong enough that Cas and Dean would still feel him, even across the Rift." He nodded. "I hadn’t thought of that. They still might not go for it, but it's worth at least raising the possibility."

Sam nodded. "And with that thought, I think it's time we got back on the road. We still have to deal with the Devil."

Gabriel knew he was right, even though a large part of him preferred to stay right here, safe with his bondmate.

Instead, he hopped off the bed and went in search of where he'd scattered his clothes. "Flip you for who drives first."

Sam laughed, picked up the keys from the nightstand and tossed them to Gabriel, who caught them without looking. "You can take the first shift."

They dressed and left the hotel room to begin the final leg of their hunt.

***

His angels and Jack were still debating what to do with Jack's angels, but Dean couldn’t concentrate on the conversation any longer. He stood up and walked away, making sure to stay close to the camp. He didn't want to run across any stray enemy angels. He hoped they hadn't discovered the new location yet, but he'd been hunting too long to take stupid chances.

As soon as he was out of earshot of the conversation, he found another log and sat down, dropping heavily the last few inches and causing it to creak ominously under him. As long as it didn't drop him on his ass, he didn't really care.

He wasn't sure exactly how to shutter his side of the bond, but he did what he could. He wasn't ready to share his feelings. Dean realized there were several things he hadn't thought through before accepting the bond with one, much less two, angels.

He put his head in his hands, and if he didn't exactly cry, he couldn’t say that his eyes were dry.

Losing Castiel almost as soon as he'd gotten him. Now that they were bonded, he realized he'd been attracted to the angel from the moment he'd first seen him, when he had been ambushed and captured by the rebel humans. He'd risked his and Ketch's lives to save Castiel, and he had looked forward to the trips across the Rift to meet with him and plan strategy. Now he wished he had been more in touch with how he'd felt earlier.

A part of him wanted to open up their bond as wide as it could go, so he could feel everything for as long as it lasted. And another part wanted to keep it shuttered so he wouldn't get to used to having that presence there. Cas was great, and he knew he wasn't going to lose that, but he'd immediately gotten used to feeling two angels.

A soft rustle of wings sounded, and Dean knew his angels had arrived. He'd known they wouldn't stay away for long, but he was glad to have had even a bit of time to get himself together.

He lifted his head and couldn't stop the gasp that escaped him.

Cas and Castiel weren't just standing in front of him. They were standing together, wings outstretched to their full span and curving around him, providing a wall between him and the rest of the world. These weren't the shadows of wings he was used to seeing. These were their actual wings. The air was still, but their feathers shifted as if moved by wind from somewhere else. Cas' wings were pure ebony black, even darker than his shadow wings, while Castiel's were a tawny gold that perfectly matched his blonde hair.

"How?" was all Dean could say.

"You have our grace within you," Castiel answered. "You have a hint of our senses, including the ability to see our true wings."

Cas dropped down beside Dean, wrapping both a wing and an arm around him. "You didn't think we'd leave you out here alone, did you?"

Castiel knelt on the other side of him, adding his wing and arms to Cas' embrace. "You don’t think I'm giving you up without a fight, do you? You're mine." His wing reached over to touch Cas. "Both of you."

"But how?" Dean asked. "You belong here. This is your world. These are your angels. You can't leave them any more than I can leave my world and my brother."

Castiel shrugged. "You're right, and yet…" He broke off, his expression fierce. "And yet," he finally continued. "Things have a way of working out. You are here to help our world. You were here to bond and heal me. I can't believe our Father is so cruel to make that the end of it."

Dean barked out a harsh laugh. "I can believe it if your Father is as messed up as his counterpart in our world." Some years ago, he would have felt bad saying that with Cas present, but his angel had seen the truth of his Father many years earlier.

Cas hugged him tightly. "That may be so, but I share my brother's belief. We will find a way to make this work.' He glanced over at Castiel, blue eyes shining faintly with silver. "He's mine as much as you are."

Dean wasn't sure how it would work out, but being surrounded by two angels' convictions made it hard to stay depressed. "All right, you two. I don't know how we'll make it work, but we will."

Castiel's wing caressed Dean, moving lower to gently touch his ass. "Now, I do believe that the two of you have had benefit from this bond which has so far been denied me."

Dean gasped as arousal poured through their bond. He realized it was coming from both angels, not just Castiel. He fought against it, not to deny it but to keep it from overwhelming him.

Both angels dialed it back slightly.

"Yeah, okay," Dean said, his voice high and breathless. "Maybe we should take this somewhere else. I don’t know about the two of you, but I'd prefer to be inside."

A flutter of wings was all the warning that he got before they vanished from the forest and appeared again in the safe house where they had bonded Castiel.

"This seems like an appropriate place," Castiel said, a small smirk playing about his mouth.

"I do have fond feelings for this place," Cas agreed.

Now that they had some privacy, Dean was through being coy. He slid his arms around Castiel's waist and pulled him close. He had no idea if the angel had any practical experience, but he figured direct action was the best way to find out. He cupped the back of his head and kissed Castiel. Surprisingly, it was very much like kissing Cas.

_He's giving me pointers_. His mental voice sounded almost shy.

Dean didn't break the kiss, but he did hum his approval. He curled his tongue into Castiel's mouth, teasing all the points that always drove Cas crazy. Castiel moaned, gripped Dean's ass and ground them together. Yeah, that was good.

He almost jumped when Cas moved behind him, gripping his hips and landing feather light kisses on his neck. Both angels laughed through the bond, and Dean sent them both mental "swats" in mock irritation.

Cas just reached around to unzip Dean's jacket and slide it off his shoulders. His flannel shirt followed until he was in just a t-shirt. Cas slid his hands under the shirt, pulling it out of his jeans. He traced a line of gentle nips up his back, along his spine.

At the same time, Castiel reached a hand between them and gripped Dean's hardening cock through his jeans. He adjusted them until their cocks were slotted together, and then he thrust, hard.

Dean gasped, all the stimulation being almost too much.

Wings wrapped around him, from both angels, and he felt warm, protected and aroused as hell, all at the same time.

Cas used one wing to nudge Castiel far enough away that he could remove Dean's shirt. He shivered in the cool, unheated cabin. Castiel wrapped his arms back around him and kissed him. That warmed Dean back up quickly. Cas continued his gentle attention to his back.

Castiel and Dean rutted slowly against each other as they kissed. It felt good, and Dean was in no hurry to do anything else. Cas shifted, pressing his own erection against Dean's back. Dean suddenly had a vision of sucking both of them while they kissed.

He must have shared the image with both angels because he felt eager assent from each of them.

Cas used hands and wings to move them to the bed. Castiel and Dean never stopped kissing as they moved. However, as soon as they lay down, Castiel reached for Cas and pulled him close. Dean shifted to allow Cas and Castiel to embrace and kiss.

Dean considered for a moment, deciding which of them he wanted to work on. Finally, he decided and sent both of them an image. They seemed agreeable, and maneuvered so Dean was in between them, with easy access to both their cocks.

While the angels kissed, Dean alternated between them, sucking each of them in turn. He was as hard as he could ever remember, but he was focused on the feel and taste of each of them and was mostly able to ignore his own arousal.

When all three of them were panting and leaking pre-come, Castiel broke away from both of them. "Enough. I want…"

Dean shifted his position to go down hard on Castiel, hand gripping the base of his cock. Cas continued to kiss Castiel but trailed a hand down his chest, tweaking his nipple before running the back of his hand down his side, ending by cupping his hip bones.

Wings rustled around them, one falling over his shoulder. Dean wasn't sure which angel it belonged to, but he reached up with the hand that wasn't gripping the base of Castiel's cock and ruffled the feathers.

Sudden, sharp arousal from Cas let him know that was a very good thing.

Dean was enjoying himself. He had Castiel gripping the bed with both hands, low groans coming from his throat. Cas moaned and slid around to grab Dean's shoulders and thrust at him from behind. One hand moved down to grasp Dean's cock, and he had to concentrate on not coming at once. He really wanted Castiel to be the first.

He shifted his hand from one set of wings to another, and Castiel started speaking in Enochian. Okay, who knew that could be sexy, but it was. The wing folded around him, making it easier for Dean to reach the primary feathers. They were soft under his hand, and he stroked them, eliciting another round of Enochian from Castiel.

Cas' hand was moving harder on Dean's cock, and he continued to thrust against his back. Dean could feel through the bond that both angels were close. He hollowed his cheeks around Castiel and sucked hard. That was enough, and the angel came with a yell.

Cas went still against his back at the same time Dean spasmed into his hand.

Spent, all three of them collapsed onto the bed, which creaked ominously and nearly, but didn't, fall apart under their combined weight.


	17. Chapter 17

The rest of the trip to Orlando passed without incident. Gabriel took the first shift and then turned the drive over to Sam about halfway through Georgia. If Gabriel moved a little closer to Sam each hour, the hunter didn't comment on it. By the time they were about an hour out of Orlando, the angel had slid under Sam's arm, head on his chest, arm tight around his waist. Sam said nothing, just put his arm over Gabriel's shoulders and held him close.

On the outskirts of the city, Sam started looking for a hotel, deciding to take advantage of his shiny new credit card. He spotted a Fairfield Inn and pulled into their parking lot. Gabriel hummed his approval.

Checking in took little time, and they were soon settled in their room. Sam had splurged on a one bedroom suite, and he had to admit he liked the king sized bed and small sitting area. Not that they planned to spend much time in the room. Their focus here was to find Lucifer and convince him to aid them, but Sam had never enjoyed the typical Winchester crappy motel, and now that he had the option to upgrade, he was more than willing to take advantage of it.

"So what's next? Do you need to do another spell to find Lucifer?" Sam asked.

Gabriel had sprawled onto the bed and picked up the brochures showing nearby attractions and restaurants. "No," he said turning pages slowly. "I could sense him as soon as we made town."

Sam dropped his bag and whirled around. "Does that mean he knows we are here?"

Gabriel glanced up from the brochure. "No decent delivery here. And no, Sam. Have a bit more faith in me than that. Remember that I have centuries of experience in hiding my grace."

Sam relaxed. "Sorry. I guess I'm more nervous about seeing him than I had realized."

The angel stood up to walk over and pull Sam into a warm embrace. He didn't say anything, but Sam felt reassurance and love from him. It wasn't enough to completely alleviate his fear, but it helped.

Finally, Sam asked, "So what is next?"

Without actually moving his head from Sam's chest, Gabriel said, "I need to create the trap for my brother."

"How long will that take?" Sam asked.

Gabriel shrugged into the embrace. "An hour or so? It's hard to say. I've worked out the theory, but I've never done anything quite like this."

Sam's stomach rumbled. "Since I'm assuming you need me for this, I'm going to suggest we get some food first."

Gabriel chuckled and straightened. "Can't have you fainting from hunger on me in the middle of the ritual."

"It might be awkward. I saw a restaurant nearby. Want to check it out?"

Gabriel waved him in the direction of the door. "I was thinking about proposing room service, but if you'd rather go out."

Sam could hear him trying to be light, but it wasn't working. He didn't call the angel on it, though. Placing a hand in the small of Gabriel's back, he guided him to the door. "I ate in last night."

That startled a smirk from Gabriel.

Sam continued, "This time you need to wine and dine me before you use my body in lewd ways."

Gabriel allowed himself to be guided. "I thought we were doing a ritual to trap my brother, not having sex. Although, if you insist…"

Sam opened the door. "Well, as your little brother seems fond of pointing out, sex rituals do have a great deal of power."

That got a full laugh from his archangel, and Sam counted that as a win.

The restaurant turned out to be a reasonably upscale gastropub and wine bar. Sam glanced down at his rumpled clothing as they approached the door. "Maybe we'd better find a Denny's or something."

Gabriel shook his head, snapped his fingers, and immediately both of them were attired in casual slacks, open-collared shirts and blazers. Sam's outfit was in shades of blue while Gabriel went for grey and black. Sam rather liked the look on him and decided not to protest the use of grace.

_You know you like me all dressed up._

Sam couldn’t deny that and smiled as he entered the restaurant. It was only about half full, but he was amused to note that they drew almost every eye in the place, men and women.

_What did you do besides change our outfits? Some sort of weird pheromone?_

_No, Sammich. Those looks are all for you._

Sam noted a couple of women checking out his angel's ass as the host showed them to their table.

_Not all of them._

_Most of them, then. I might have to smite that guy by the window. From his expression, he's considering things only I am allowed to do to your gorgeous body._

It was a good thing Sam had mostly learned to keep a straight face in reaction to Gabriel's running commentary.

_I like to keep you in practice._

Sam almost lost his composure at that, but he managed to give the host a warm, but not too warm, smile as he took his menu.

They ordered, and Sam indulged in a glass of wine, something recommended by Gabriel, the name of which he forgot seconds after ordering it, but it was good. He thought he might benefit from the tiny bit of relaxation it might give.

The food came, and Sam managed to forget his nerves long enough to eat. He'd opted for a Salmon salad, while Gabriel had gone for a fancy burger. Something about Kobe beef and some kind of cheese Sam could barely pronounce but Gabriel rattled off with no hesitation.

Gabriel frowned at Sam's salad but asked, "How is it?"

Sam finished his bite and answered with, "Really good. How's your burger?"

Gabriel took another bite, accompanied with exaggerated expressions of appreciation. "Almost as good as Dean's," he said when he finished chewing and swallowing.

Sam laughed. "Suck up."

Gabriel shrugged and nibbled a fry before saying, "I gotta stay on his good side. He's bonded to two angels now."

"And one of them you want to upgrade to an archangel. AU!Cas might be able to kick your ass in just a few days."

Gabriel didn't look perturbed. "Age and wisdom and all that."

“Sure. Which is why you are sucking up to Dean,” Sam said with a grin.

Gabriel shrugged, and Sam sensed growing nervousness through the bond. “Hey,” Sam said, sending reassurance to his angel. “You can do this, you know. You said you and Cas worked out the trap.”

“We did,” Gabriel said as soon as he finished another bite of burger. “And I think we got it all right. But I'm still not happy about getting you that close to my brother.”

Sam was pretty sure the recent encounter with the djinn had only made that worse. “I trust you,” he said. “I know you won't let him do anything to me.”

Gabriel shook his head. “That assumes I'm able to stop him.”

“I'm your bondmate,” Sam said with a small growl. “You'll do what it takes to keep me whole. Just like I will with you.” He let his expression grow fond. “I love you.”

That made Gabriel smile at him. “And I love you.” He tilted his head at Sam. “I think that’s the first time you’ve referred to me that way.”

Sam had to think for a moment and realized Gabriel was right. He’d called him “lover” before, along with many less serious things, but that was the first time he’d used the term which signified the depth and extent of their relationship. “I guess you’re right. Please don’t think I haven’t taken this seriously.”

Approval and reassurance flowed down the bond. “I never thought that,” Gabriel said. “It’s an angel term, and there’s not really an equivalent in human terminology.” He snorted. “Well outside of fanfiction, that is.”

Sam gave a small laugh. “Hardly counts.” He sent the depth of his own emotion back down the bond. “I’m proud of you, bondmate. You can do this.”

Gabriel sighed. “Okay, yes, I can do this.” But Sam felt the gratitude from his angel.

“That's the spirit. Now finish your burger and let's get to creating this trap.”

The archangel returned to his meal with more enthusiasm, and Sam counted it a win.

***

Dean wasn’t sure how long the three of them lay collapsed on the rickety cot. He was sure both angels could tell him to the second, but right then he was too satisfied and sated to care.

Two sets of wings enveloped him, and he wasn’t sure which angel’s arm was wrapped around his chest, and he didn’t care. Warmth and love pulsed down the twin bond. Dean wasn’t certain he’d ever felt this good.

However, eventually the realization that they were in this universe to do a job trickled back into his awareness, and he groaned and sat up. The arm over his chest shifted, and Castiel sat up with him. Dean was amused to see Cas still lying with his eyes closed. He tickled his angel’s chest. “Up and at ‘em, Cas. We didn’t come over here just for the sex.”

Cas’ eyes remained closed. “Are you certain?” he asked.

“Pretty sure,’ Dean said, amusement and love in his tone.

Castiel leaned down and kissed Cas on the lips. Dean found it _very_ hot, and he had to remind himself that he was the one who had said they weren’t just here for the sex.

Both angels laughed through the bond, and Cas finally sat up and opened his eyes. Castiel shifted to allow the other angel to sit up, but he didn’t break the kiss for several more seconds.

“All right, you two,” Dean said. “Although I have to admit, you have come up with an excellent motivation for dealing with Michael quickly.”

With one last lick, Castiel finally straightened from the kiss. “I think once Michael is defeated, we should find a private place and not come out for at least a week.”

Dean thought it was an excellent idea, although he was surprised to hear it coming from an angel. “How much time did you spend with your Gabriel anyway? You are very much like him.”

Castiel smiled at that. “I should hope so. He was my favorite brother, and we spent much time together.” He tilted his head. “Would you like to see what he taught me?”

Dean felt curiosity from Cas which matched his own. “Of course.”

Castiel stood up, as unconcerned about his nudity as he had been walking through the camp. He banished his wings to wherever it was angels kept them. An expression of concentration crossed his face, and his eyes glowed blue. Several seconds later, _two_ Castiels stood in front of them, both smiling in satisfaction.

Dean’s eyes widened. “He taught you to make doubles?”

One Castiel nodded while the other just smiled. “Only one double. I don’t have enough power to create more than one, unlike Gabriel, who could create at least four.”

“Still, this is both useful and an impressive accomplishment,” Cas said.

Dean felt a tiny bit of wistfulness from his first angel, and he reached out to touch his shoulder. “Maybe he can teach you too when we have some time. After all this is over.”

Now the other double nodded. “I’m certain I can. It’s more a matter of concentration than power to create the first one. Power is only needed to create more than one.”

Cas smiled shyly. “I should like to learn, brother.”

Dean glanced around, looking for where he’d tossed his pants. “We need to get going. Michael isn’t going to defeat himself.”

The second Castiel vanished, and both angels were dressed in moments. It took Dean a little longer, but he finally found all of his clothing.

“Back to camp?” Castiel asked when Dean was dressed.

“Yes,” Dean said. “I’m hoping Ketch and Hael will be there. I want to be sure the humans made it to their camp all right.” He thought for a moment. “And Griff. I’m not sure which camp he ended up in.”

“Is he the human with archangel grace within him?” Castiel asked.

“Yes,” Dean answered. “You can sense that?”

“Easily. It has the feel of Gabriel about it.”

Cas nodded. “It is Gabriel’s grace. It’s a long story, but Griff is one of Gabriel’s potential vessels.”

“Ah. I felt him when we arrived in the camp, but I hadn’t seen him yet.”

“So he’s with us?” Dean asked.

“When I last sensed him, yes.”

“Good,” Dean said. “We’re hoping he might confuse the angels who must be looking for us.”

“Likely,” Castiel said. “It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before. He’s clearly human, but there is that bit of angelic about him. It’s different too from the feel of grace you have about you, now, Dean. So even if one of the angels has seen a bonded human before, Griff will still be something new. And potentially dangerous. They might be extra cautious, at least for a moment.”

Dean nodded in satisfaction. “And sometimes a moment is all you need.”

“True,” Castiel said. He put an arm around both Dean and Cas. “Shall we go to the camp?”

Dean gave one last look around the little cabin to be certain he hadn’t left anything before saying, “Yes, let’s go.”

As before, it was a completely different experience flying now that he was bonded. Feeling the rush of--was it air? Or something else?--was exhilarating.

They landed in the middle of the angel camp. Cas turned to the west and said, “Hael is here.”

“Good,” Dean said. “I hope she has Ketch with her.”

Castiel was facing the opposite direction. “Griff is coming. One of the angels must have told him we had arrived.”

“Then let’s get Jack here as well, and we can plan our next steps. I have a few ideas, but you two might have some as well.”

Griff appeared then, stepping out from behind a tent. “Everything okay?” he asked.

“We’re fine,” Dean said. He thought about adding some comment about having been “discussing strategy” but he didn’t think it would fly.

“Hearing” a mental snort was definitely odd. He thought it was from Castiel.

Hael and Ketch appeared from around another tent. Which made Dean wonder. Why did angels need tents anyway?

“We came from the other camp,” Ketch said. “Hael says she can tell you the coordinates.”

Castiel nodded. “She just did.”

“So more planning, then?” Ketch asked.

“Yes. Which tent has a map set up?”

“I can show you,” Griff said as he started off. Dean and the rest followed him. He was starting to feel like he had an entourage.

The tent was crowded, but they all managed to fit. Dean noticed the map had been set up with Army men, just as in the original camp. “Are these the same Army men from the old camp, or do we have our set and they have theirs?”

Ketch coughed. “I believe we have our own set.”

Hael suddenly looked away from everyone and shifted her feet in an oddly human gesture.

“What?” Dean asked.

Ketch caught Hael’s eye, and she finally nodded.

“Hael thought we needed our own set, so she went and found them.” He gave her a mock scowl. “And she won’t tell me where she found them.”

“It’s not important,” she said.

Dean chuckled. “All right. As long as Michael won’t miss them.”

Hael suddenly turned red.

“You didn’t?” Ketch asked.

“May I...plead the Sixth?” Hael asked.

Now it was Griff’s turn to chuckle. “Sure. We’ll give you a swift and speedy trial.”

Now Hael’s brows drew together.

Dean took pity on her. “I think you meant ‘plead the Fifth.’ Right idea. Wrong Amendment.”

That didn’t seem to enlighten her much, but Dean pointed to the map. “All right. Are we certain these is Michael’s latest position?”

“It’s out of date,” Hael said. “It’s his latest known position, but it is at least 24 hours old.”

Jack ducked into the tent as she spoke. “Glad to have you back, Hael. And yes, we need to scout out his latest position.”

Dean nodded. “If possible, I’d like us to pick off a few more of his angels. Even the odds a bit more.”

“But we can’t do that if we don’t know where his forces are,” Griff said.

“True,” Dean said. “Jack. Who is best to send out scouting?”

Jack considered for a moment before motioning to Hael. “You, definitely. I’ll think of two others.”

Hael appeared pleased to have been chosen.

“So scout the new position and then decide on how to proceed?” Castiel asked.

“I think so,” Dean said. “But let’s give some thought to how we want to incorporate the rebels. I don’t think we can afford to leave them out of this.”

“Use them as bait?” Griff suggested.

Everyone turned to look at him, and most of the looks were unfriendly.

He raised his hands in a placating gesture. “Wait a minute. That didn’t quite come out right. What I mean is, if we send out a few small teams of rebels, like ten or fewer, we might be able to draw out a small number of angels. Are they overconfident enough to send only two or three angels after a small group of humans?”

Everyone turned to Castiel for his opinion.

The angel considered for a moment. “Yes, I think they would.”

Nodding, Griff said, “All right then. Dean and I hopefully won’t ping on angel radar as angels. I’m hoping our grace isn’t super noticeable from a distance?”

Cas’ expression brightened as he followed the idea. “No, it wouldn’t be. Not unless they were specifically looking for it.”

“Then Dean and I would be a surprise and should make it relatively easy to pick off small groups of angels. It won’t have a big effect on the numbers but might make Michael more cautious and draw his forces back.”

“And if we know where the bulk of his forces are, we might be able to plan a larger offensive,” Cas added.

“Exactly. Putting Michael on edge can only help us.”

Dean thought the plan through and couldn’t find too many things to criticise. “I think that could work.”

He could feel Castiel’s hesitation through their bond. _I’ve been fighting angels for years. I know what I’m doing, and I have an edge I didn’t used to have._

_I don’t entirely like it either_  Cas sent. _But Dean does know what he is doing._

The approval from Cas kindled a warm glow in Dean’s stomach.

_I still don’t like it,_ Castiel sent. _But I do see the sense in it._

Returning to the main conversation, Dean said, “Another advantage of including me is that I can call for help quickly.”

“Yes,” Castiel said, a growl in the word.

Dean put an arm around his newest angel. “All right. I think we’ve got everything covered for the moment. Jack, you send out your scouts. Find Michael and let’s see what we can do to his plans.”


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, two chapters on the same day. A friend is having travel anxiety. I'm hoping the cliffhangers in this chapter will distract her. :D

After dinner, Sam and Gabriel returned to the room. Sam’s belief in him had made the archangel more confident about his ability to create the trap, but he was still aware that this was going to be one of the most subtle grace manipulations he’d ever done. And the stakes were high. His bondmate’s life and sanity.

“Anything in particular you need from me?” Sam asked as they entered the suite.

Gabriel pointed to the couch in the living area. “Let’s sit there. I want you to be comfortable. This may take a little while.”

Sam settled himself on the couch, long legs stretched in front of him. Gabriel considered and finally sat down beside him, one arm draped over his shoulders.

“We don’t need to face each other or anything, do we?” Sam asked.

“Nope. This is fine. All I need is to be touching you.”

Sam leaned back against the couch back and laid his head on Gabriels’ arm. “Okay. That works for me.”

Gabriel grinned at him. “Impudent human.”

Sam reached up and stroked his angel’s arm. “It’s why you love me.”

“I thought I loved you for that very fine ass.”

“That too.”

Gabriel chuckled and then composed himself. “Don’t try to follow along with this one. If you open yourself fully to the bond, it might distract me.”

Solemn agreement travelled down the bond before Sam pulled back. Gabriel narrowed his side of their link and then closed his eyes. If he’d wanted to show off, he would have done this with his eyes open, but he had no need to impress Sam. As good as he was with grace manipulation, he wanted all his concentration for this.

He concentrated for a moment and put up a shield to conceal his workings. This would take time, and even his brother might have time to notice if he didn’t shield his work.

Once his shield was up, he checked the tiny bits of Lucifer’s grace that he had wrapped in his own grace, assuring that none of his brother’s was touching his mate. All were wrapped up tightly and accounted for. This was the first tricky bit. He wanted Lucifer to feel those bits of grace in his true vessel. Which meant he had to conceal the wrappings. This working was similar to what he had done to hide their bond, and he accomplished it quickly.

“Okay, what I’ve done so far is make it so my brother can sense those bits of his grace in you.”

Sam gave a little shudder, and Gabriel tightened his grip on the man’s shoulders. “It’s okay. He will be able to sense them, but they aren’t touching any part of your soul. I promise.”

“I trust you. It’s just a little off-putting to think that I still have bits of him in me.”

“Not for long. Now let me construct the trap.”

He drew deeply on his grace, drawing it out of him and manipulating it the way he wanted. He’d never forgive Kali for that blood binding spell, but he admitted that it was a clever bit of working, and he’d managed to adapt it to his own use. He wove the tendrils of grace into the right configuration and then concealed it.

It took him a little longer than the hour he’d predicted, and when he was done, he slumped against Sam.

“You okay?”

Gabriel nodded tiredly, letting his eyes slide closed. “Yeah. That’s the most complex working I’ve done in a while. I’m just tired.”

“How much grace did you use?” Sam’s tone was concerned.

“I didn’t use too much. It wasn’t so much the amount I used as they tediousness of weaving it the way I needed.”

Sam hugged him. “You want to sleep for a while?”

Gabriel found himself yawning. “Yeah. That would be nice.”

“Well, we do have this king sized bed just begging to be used.”

“Not quite the use I’d had in mind.” He tried for light and flirty but knew he’d failed as soon as the words had been spoken.

Sam kissed the top of his head and stood up, lifting Gabriel with him. He thought about protesting the treatment, but then decided he liked it. Even though he was infinitely stronger than Sam, it was nice to pretend for a moment that he was safe in someone else’s strong arms.

Sam lay him down on the bed, tucked him under the covers and then snuggled up to his back, one arm protectively over his chest.

Gabriel was asleep in moments.

***

Sam watched Gabriel sleep. He knew he should rest too, but he was too wired at the thought of what was coming. He absolutely trusted Gabriel. If his angel said Lucifer couldn’t ride him again, he believed it. However, there were other ways Lucifer could hurt them, and he couldn’t help but being apprehensive about those.

“You’re thinking too loud,” Gabriel complained.

Sam kissed the back of his head. “Sorry. Can’t help it.”

Gabriel sighed and stretched, arching his back into Sam. “I suppose I understand that. I try not to think about what’s coming, and I mostly end up thinking about it anyway.”

He sat up and stretched again. “Might as well get going. If we’re going to do this, we might as well do it.”

Sam wished now that he hadn’t awakened Gabriel. Because he wasn’t sure he was ready for this.

_You’re ready. You’re one of the bravest people I know. I couldn’t do this without you._

Sam straightened his shoulders. If an archangel needed him, he’d damn well not disappoint.

_That’s my mate._

Sam showered quickly and got dressed. It helped get him in the right mindset to do this. Gabriel skipped the shower and snapped himself up a new set of clothes. Sam wanted to chide him for the use of grace, but he knew the angel was doing it to remind himself who and what he was.

Finally, they were both ready.

“Where is he?”

Gabriel concentrated. Sam could feel the effort through the bond. He also felt the disgust through the bond a moment later.

“That bastard. He picked that place on purpose. He must have felt us coming.”

“How do you you know?” Sam struggled to push down the sudden surge of fear that went through him.

“Because he’s at Valkyrie Doughnuts.”

Sam screwed up his face in confusion. “So?”

Gabriel shook his head, his expression still disgusted. “Two reasons. One, ‘Valkyrie’ is a shot at my time as Loki. Plus the fact that the place is known for their Big Fucking Doughnut. Which is another shot at my time as Loki when I downed sugar like there was no tomorrow. The only other place more annoying he could have picked was Wonderworks, which is basically a big Mystery Spot.”

“That would have been a shot at both of us. Because he knows all about Mystery Spot from our time in the Cage. He dredged through my memories regularly.”

Gabriel’s brows drew together. “Okay. Good point, Sam. Knowing my brother, he knew about both places, and he picked the doughnut place.” A slow smile crossed his face. “He’s underestimating us.”

“How do you see that?”

“Don’t you see, Sam. If he’d picked Wonderworks, he’d have been trying to rattle both of us. By only trying to annoy me, he’s saying he doesn’t consider you worth worrying about. Which means he has no idea about the trap. That was a mild concern. He’s not as subtle at grace manipulation as I am, but he might have anticipated we’d use the two-way aspect of being a vessel against him. So the fact that he’s ignoring you means he doesn't think you are a threat. He’s focused on me.”

“So you think he doesn’t know about the bond either?”

Gabriel nodded. “I’d bet on it.”

“Well, you pretty much are,” Sam pointed out.

“True.” Gabriel reached out and hugged the tall man. “I’m actually feeling a tiny bit better about this than I did.”

“I’m glad.”

Sam knew there was no point, but he put his pistol in his waistband and pulled his shirts over it to be certain it was hidden.

“You know that won’t work on him, right?” Gabriel asked with a smirk. “Even if it were the Colt, and it isn’t.”

“I know. But I don’t feel right without it.”

“Fair enough.”

They walked out of the suite, and Sam drove them to Valkyrie Doughnuts. The sign was interesting, a large pink doughnut with black wings. He knew they were supposed to be the wings of the horses Valkyries rode, but they bore a vague resemblance to angel wings.

He found parking in the lot near the shop, and both Gabriel and Sam got out of the Impala and walked to the shop. A bench to the right of the door was occupied.

“Hello brother. Fancy meeting you here.”

Lucifer awaited them. And was obviously prepared for them.

***

Griff watched Dean pace back and forth in front of the map tent. He understood. Waiting was always the worst part. Would Hael and the other two angels come back? What would they find? How badly screwed were they in this fight against the archangel Michael? And how had he gone from fighting demons to fighting angels?

Suddenly he missed Lex so much that it was an almost physical ache. Since the hacker had released him from the mental hospital, they hadn’t been apart much, and Griff wanted his partner back. He’d have something funny or snarky to say to break the mood. Griff wanted to channel him, but he wasn’t coming up with anything. Something about this universe grated on him, and he wanted to get back home as soon as they could.

Two more days, he kept telling himself. Two more days until Gabriel would open the portal, and they could go back.

“Where are they?” Ketch asked. “It’s been too long, hasn’t it?”

Griff managed not to smile. He’d noticed that Ketch and Hael seemed fairly close. They didn’t just go on missions together. While in camp, if you saw one, it was a fair bet that the other would be nearby. He wasn’t sure he really understood how or why angels and humans would want to hook up, but Dean, Cas and Castiel were never apart, and just looking at them, you could tell how close their bond was.

So maybe Ketch and Hael would end up together too. Griff was cheering them on. He’d decided relationships weren’t for him, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t happy when other people found reasons to fall in love.

Dean stopped pacing long enough to look at Ketch. “It hasn’t been that long.”

Griff didn’t think Dean sounded at all convincing.

“It’s been at least five hours,” Ketch insisted. “How long does it take to scout out Michael’s forces.”

“She is still alive, Ketch,” Castiel said. “You don’t need to worry she’s not coming back.”

“How can you tell? Aren’t we shielded?” Ketch asked, now managing to look even more worried.

“I’ve worked so closely with her for so long that we have an affinity. I’m not sure exactly where she is, but I do know she’s alive,” came Castiel’s calm reply.

“Thank Chuck for that, at least,” Ketch said.

Dean resumed his pacing, while Griff reflected on the fact that God in this universe went by “Chuck.” What kind of name was that for a deity? Or wait. Not this universe. The other one. So what was God called in this one? He briefly considered asking and then decided he was just as happy not knowing.

“Cas? Haven’t they been gone too long?” Dean asked, halting his restless pacing long enough to stare accusingly at both of his angels.

Griff sighed but tried to be discreet about it. This had been the pattern for the last couple of hours. Ketch asked if it had been too long. Dean said it hadn’t. And then a few minutes later, Dean asked, apparently having forgotten what he’d just said to Ketch.

It was making his head hurt.

Before Cas could answer--Griff didn’t need to hear the answer; he already knew what the angel would say--Hael and the two angels she’d left with--he couldn’t remember their names--landed nearby with a loud rustle of wings.

Of course that led to everyone talking at once.

Dean: “What took you so long?”

Ketch: “Hael, are you all right?”

Cas and Castiel, in perfect sync: “Where is Michael and do you know what he’s planning?”

Griff thought about saying something but was pretty sure “Can we all go home now?” wasn’t going to add anything useful to the conversation. So he stayed silent and listened.

Hael and the other two angels were drooping and looked tired, another thing that surprised Griff about angels. How could celestial beings feel fatigue?

Ketch stepped forward, put an arm around Hael and offered her his shoulder for support. The angel gave him a nod.

One of the other two angels said, “We couldn’t find him.”

Dean straightened. “What do you mean you couldn’t find him?”

“Exactly what I said. He is gone. We were gone so long because we didn’t want to come back with no information. We travelled far, and there was no sign of Michael or any of his angels.”

Dean shifted his attention to Hael. His expression looked as if he hoped she would give him a different answer. Unfortunately, she shook her head. “No. We really didn’t find him. As far as we can tell, he’s not in this universe anymore.”

Dean seemed to agree. “If he’s not here, then that means…”

“He’s in our universe,” Cas finished. “He made his move earlier than we thought.”

Dean slumped against a nearby tree, his expression closer to hopeless and defeated than Griff had ever expected to see. “You mean he’s over there, and we’re over here? With still two days before Gabriel opens a portal to get us back?”

“That seems to be the case, Dean,” Cas said.

Well, shit. That pretty much meant they were fucked. Not just them. But the other universe also.

Griff missed Lex even more. Was he going to see his partner again?


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who have been missing Lex, have his only POV scene in the story. But I think it's a good one!

At the sight of his brother, Gabriel had to restrain a shudder. This was his once beloved brother who had killed him. True, he had only killed a double, but the fact remained that Lucifer had thought he was killing Gabriel, and he hadn't hesitated. Had thrust the blade in without even a pause. Had stood there, impassive, while Gabriel's grace burst from his body and blackened his wings on the floor.

And they were going to try to use him.

Later, he realized that Sam's steady presence in the bond was the only thing that allowed him to go through with this.

“So, brother,” Lucifer said, his tone light as he waved a frosted doughnut in their direction. “Isn't this the perfect place to meet? Does it remind you of your time with the pagans?” His voice grew hard. “And your abandonment of your family?”

_Don't let him get to you_ , came Sam's voice in his mind. _You are my archangel._

Gabriel took strength from that.

“Like you can talk, brother.” He twisted the word into a sneer. “Who abandoned the family first?”

Lucifer waved his doughnut again, several sprinkles flying off to nearly hit Sam. “Old news. What brings you here?” He looked at Sam for the first time. “And in the company of my true vessel. I thought I felt shards of my grace approaching. How does it feel, Sammy? To know that my grace is still in you?”

“Your grace? It's in me?” Sam's voice wavered, but his presence in the bond was firm, and Gabriel knew he was only acting nervous.

“Of course. I left a bit of myself behind. It allows me to keep tabs on you.”

_He's lying,_ Gabriel sent. _He could only feel it when you got close._

_He's called the Father of Lies for a reason_ , Sam sent back.

“So where's Dean?” Lucifer asked.

Gabriel noticed that he expressed no surprise that Gabriel was alive. Obviously he'd known. Or had he, and was he just bluffing well?

“That's why we are here,” Gabriel said, after warning Sam off from answering. He didn't want his brother paying too much attention to Sam, in case he could sense the trap. “We need your help.”

Lucifer laughed and ate a bite of his doughnut. “You need my help?” He said, still chewing. Gabriel tried not to look at the bits of pastry moving around in his mouth. “Gabriel the Lone Ranger? Gabriel who does things his own way? What help could you possibly need me for?”

“Michael. But not our Michael.”

Lucifer raised an eyebrow and motioned with his doughnut in a carry on gesture.

Gabriel gave him the short version of AU!Michael and his plans to take over this world, finishing with, “He'll destroy this one, brother. We want to prevent that.”

Lucifer shrugged. “And why should I care? I've made my feelings for these roaches quite clear. If my brother from another universe wants to destroy them and this world, I say let him.”

Sam shifted, but Gabriel indicated he should stay silent.

“He will do more than destroy this world. You haven't asked about your counterpart from the other universe.”

Lucifer's expression was bored, but he said, his tone monotone, “And what did happen to my counterpart?”

“Michael destroyed him. As he did with mine.”

Lucifer waved a hand in dismissal. “He was weak. He got what he must have deserved. Besides, I have no desire to stand in his way. He can do what he wants with this world.” His expression grew contemplative. “I might offer to join and help him.”

“You can’t really mean that, brother,” Gabriel asked. He knew his brother could mean it, but he didn’t want to believe it.

“Why not? What have these humans ever done for me?”

“Your son,” Sam said, before Gabriel could stop him. “If Michael destroys this world, he will destroy your son as well.”

Lucifer went still. “My son?” He finally said. “Where is he?”

Gabriel hadn’t wanted to bring his nephew into this, but now that Lucifer was asking about Jack, he’d use it. “He’s in the other universe, doing what he can to slow down or stop Michael. He’s strong, but he’s young and inexperienced. If he goes up against Michael without help, he’ll probably die.”

He half expected his brother to laugh it off or say that the kid was on his own. But Lucifer's expression went from still to angry to concerned. “You would let me see him?”

Gabriel said “Yes,” and he felt Sam's agreement. He was confident he had sufficiently inoculated his nephew against Lucifer's lies. And if Lucifer was going to fight with them, he would see Jack. It didn't necessarily mean he would talk to him.

There was a long pause, and Lucifer finally, he nodded. “All right. I will help you.”

Gabriel was shocked, and he felt Sam's own shock and sudden hope through their bond. His brother was really offering to help?

Of course, his next words were more the Lucifer they knew. “I will help, but I need something more.”

He never looked at Sam, but Gabriel could feel his brother's grace reaching toward its true vessel. Gabriel gave an internal straightening of his shoulders. This was the moment they had been aiming for.

He sent love and support and as much strength as he could to his bondmate.

“You mean me, right?” Sam asked.

“Of course. If I am going to help defeat my brother, then my true vessel will give me an advantage in that fight.” He motioned to his body. “Nick is good enough for daily wear but for truly formal occasions?” He shrugged and gave Sam a small smile. “It doesn't match the dress code.”

Gabriel felt Sam gather himself.

“Yes.”

Lucifer cupped his ear. “Say that again? I want to make sure I heard it correctly.”

Gabriel was ready. He knew his brother would give him little time, and he needed to judge this just right.

“Yes,” Sam repeated.

As expected, Lucifer struck immediately, almost before Sam had gotten the word out. Although only visible to Gabriel's angel senses, grace exploded from Nick's body and surged toward Sam. It entered the tall human. That was Gabriel’s cue.

He reached out with his own grace and destroyed the bits of Lucifer left behind in Sam. It was satisfying to finally have them gone, but he didn't have time to appreciate it. Lucifer's grace recoiled for just a split second, less even, although the pause was noticeable to an angel's time sense. As soon as Gabriel felt the recoil, he triggered the trap.

His working settled on Lucifer perfectly, at exactly the moment his grace bounced off the bond, unable to inhabit Sam. Lucifer's grace shot back into Nick, taking the binding spell with it.

Lucifer slumped on the bench, and Gabriel monitored his spell, searching for weakness or flaw.

It held. Lucifer was bound.

_Order him not to leave, Sam_ , he sent. Technically the spell prevented him from going too far, but Gabriel preferred to keep him here, off balance, for as long as possible.

Sam and Gabriel had worked out the first series of commands in advance, and Sam spoke them now. “Do not depart my presence. Do not harm me or Gabriel. Do not harm anyone or anything.” He paused before adding, “Do not attempt to escape my hold.”

Gabriel had told him that probably wouldn't hold him and might just make him madder and more likely to break free, but Sam had been determined, and Gabriel couldn't guarantee it was a bad idea. His mate had been determined to try, and he had decided it wasn't worth fighting over. He hoped he wouldn't regret that later.

As Gabriel watched, the spell tightened around his brother and continued to hold. Maybe this crazy idea would work.

“You are dead, Gabriel,” his brother said, his voice rough and raspy as he fought the spell.

But what would he and Sam do if it didn't continue to work?

***

Lex enjoyed the drive from Lebanon to Sioux Falls to meet Jody. The Winchesters had spoken fondly of her, and he was looking forward to meeting her. He knew he probably had the wrong idea, but he was sort of envisioning her as a combination of Bill and Dean.

The drive also gave him time to reflect on his near month as a hunter. He was liking the life. Saving people through hunting was more immediate and satisfying than the distance he had maintained as a CIA agent. The Winchesters appreciated his computer skills, and Sam knew just enough about hacking to provide interesting conversations.

The life seemed to suit Griff too. His partner had gained a bit of weight back on Dean’s cooking, and he was obviously enjoying the training and fencing with Gabriel. Lex knew just enough of weapon work to defend himself, but he left going on the attack to Griff. At least for now. He was determined to learn.

The only part of this new life that was taking some getting used to was living in the Midwest, so far from a city. He'd spent all his life living on the East Coast, having been born in Baltimore and then moving to D. C. when he started working for the CIA. He'd thought Jericho was small, but then he saw Lebanon. About a thousand people was giving him culture shock. Kansas City was nice enough, he guessed, but it was still nothing like what he was used to.

Sam had given him Jody's number, and he texted her when he was about fifteen minutes out. She sent back that his timing was good. She was just starting to put meat out to thaw for dinner and did he like steak? He responded with an enthusiastic agreement, and his stomach started growling in appreciation. He had skipped lunch to make up for his late start--he hadn't been able to resist making some tweaks to his bots--and he’d been getting steadily hungrier for the last hour or so.

He followed his Google Maps directions through Sioux Falls, which was bigger than he had expected. He’d assumed a little bit bigger than Jericho, but it was more small city than big town.

Jody had a house on the west side of town, not too far from the regional airport. As he pulled into the driveway, a woman opened the door and stepped out onto the porch. He knew immediately that she was Jody. She wasn’t in uniform, but she had an air of competence about her that reminded him of the Winchesters. And of Bill. Maybe his impression wasn’t too far off.

Grabbing his backpack, he got out of the car.

The woman looked first at him, then at the car and smiled. “Well, based on the car, I thought you were just some random lost stranger. But now that I see you, damn, you really do look like Gabriel.”

Lex returned her smile and went up the stairs to meet her. “Yep. I’m Lex. And you must be Jody.”

She shook his hand but then pulled him into a rough hug, which both pleased and surprised him. “Winchesters, both blood and adopted, get hugs in this house.”

He hugged her back a moment before pulling back. “Wasn’t aware I was an adopted Winchester. I’ve only been with them a little less than a month.”

“If you look that much like Gabriel, you’re family. I know Sam wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Warmth spread through his chest. Griff was like family now, but maybe his new family was larger than he’d thought. “You still need to meet Griff. When we’re all dressed for hunting, Sam is the only one who can tell us all apart at a glance.”

She motioned him into the house. “Well, he does have an unfair advantage.”

“True. That bond.” He looked around with interest. It was nice to be in an actual house as contrast to the Bunker, which was certainly livable but definitely had the air of a combination barracks and bachelor pad. Jody’s house wasn’t fancy but it had a comfortable, lived-in air about it. He liked it.

“Alex isn’t here right now,” Jody said. “She’s at a conference. I thought you could stay in her room.” She pointed to a short hallway just off the living room. “Second door on the right.”

“Thanks. Is there someplace I can set up my laptops.”

Jody’s eyes opened wider. “Laptops? Plural?”

Lex shrugged. “I need one laptop to run the bots which will be looking for signs of Michael. I need the other one to work on.”

She shook her head. “Sure. Because everyone wanders around with multiple laptops.”

He could tell her from her tone that she was just giving him a hard time in jest. “What can I say? Not everyone’s a hacker like I am.”

“Claire will be all over you when she gets back. She does our computer work, and, once you convince her you’re better than she is, she’ll want you to teach her stuff.”

“Happy to do so.”

“As to where to set up,” she pointed to the coffee table. “My office desk has maybe an inch of room on it, and the dining room table has been designated a technology free zone.”

Lex wasn’t sure why anyone would want that, but he did have to admit he and technology had a different relationship than most people. “Coffee table is fine.” It reminded him of setting up in Bill and Sarah’s house. Which reminded him of something he had been meaning to do. He’d get on that as soon as the bot was running.

“Dinner will be ready in about thirty minutes if you want to get settled.”

He nodded absently in her direction as he walked down the hall to the room Jody had indicated. As he peered in, he was relieved to see it was sensible, not overly girly. He’d sleep surrounded by an excess of pink if he’d needed to, but he was glad to not have to.

Dropping his backpack on the bed, he took out his first laptop, a mouse and his encrypted portable hotspot back to the living room with him. He set up and started programming. The basic bot program was written, and all he needed to do was add the parameters for Michael.

Jody poked her head through the doorway to the kitchen. “So how are you going to monitor for Michael?”

“I’ve got a basic bot program written that scans news, most social media sites and some online forums--I change those based on what I’m searching for. I give the bot parameters of what to look for, and when it finds something that matches, it sends me a notification.”

“What are the parameters for an archangel incursion?” Jody asked.

Lex gave her a quick grin. “Admittedly, that’s a new one for me. Sam and I discussed that a couple of weeks ago, and we came up with a few ideas. I'm going to program them in.”

“You and Sam? Not Gabriel?”

“I know. It's weird, but Gabriel has been oddly silent on what to look for.”

Jody frowned at him. “But he wants Michael defeated, doesn't he? And he would want to know if Michael came through, right?”

Lex shrugged. “I'm the wrong person to ask. Sam is the one who knows him best. But, yeah, he agreed it was weird.”

“And couldn't get a straight answer from him.”

Lex grinned. “Ah, you have seen Gabriel, then.”

Jody laughed but her attention shifted to the front door, which was opening. She remained relaxed, and Lex took his cues from her.

A young blonde woman dressed in jeans and a plaid shirt, with eyes harder than anyone her age should have had, entered the house, a large olive colored duffel bag slung on her shoulder.

“Claire,” Jody said in greeting.

Claire’s eyes scanned over Lex, and he resigned himself to the inevitable comment.

“You look like him, but…” She frowned. “How do you have grace?”

Lex frowned right back at her. “How do you know that?”

She shrugged. “I'm Cas’ vessel, and he rode me for a while. I guess that gave me sensitivity to grace? I can usually feel Cas and Gabriel when they get close.”

“Wait a minute,” Lex said. “How can you be a vessel? You don't look anything like him.”

Claire dropped her duffel on the couch.

“That goes in your room, young lady,” Jody scolded.

“In a minute. Let me answer his question first.”

“All right. But it goes into your room before dinner.”

“Fine. Anyway, I'm the daughter of Cas’ vessel.”

“Cas is riding your dad?” Lex was shocked. What must that be like?

Claire shook her head. “Not exactly. My dad is dead. So is the guy who used to be Gabriel’s vessel. Both of them are occupying empty vessels.”

Her tone was matter of fact, but Lex thought he could hear old hurt in it. Seeing the body of your dead dad? That sucked.

“So children of vessels are also vessels.”

“Usually,” Claire said. “Cas says occasionally children aren’t.” She gave a wry smirk. “I just think that means someone’s parent wasn’t who everyone thought they were. But Cas says that’s just me being cynical.”

“Cas is right,” Jody said.

Lex was thinking and barely paid attention to Claire’s words. Children of vessels are vessels? Does that mean if he had kids, they would be vessels too? What about Bill and Sarah?

He realized Claire had asked a question, and he shifted his attention back to the conversation. “Sorry?”

“You’re from this universe, right?” Claire asked.

“Yeah,” Lex answered, not sure why it was relevant.

“How’s that possible?” she asked. “Gabriel already has a vessel in this universe that looks like you. Why does he have two?”

Lex sat back on the couch. It was an excellent question. Griff and Bill were singular in their universes, as far as he knew. But there were two in this universe who looked alike. Why? And Lex was pretty sure Sam had mentioned once that Gabriel had been in his current vessel for a long time, centuries, if not longer. So was there always someone who looked like them? In every generation? How did all this work?

“I don’t know,” he finally answered. “I guess I never gave it any thought.”

“While it’s an excellent question,” Jody said. “It’s almost time for dinner, and I told you to take your bag to your room.”

Claire stood up, annoyance in the set of her shoulders. “All right.”

“And wash up,” Jody called down the hallway after her. “I know what you get into when you’re hunting.”

“What was she hunting?” Lex asked.

“A ghoul,” Jody answered. “Filthy creatures.”

Lex gave a little shudder. He hadn’t gone up against one yet, but he’d read about them, and yes, nasty.

“If you can drag yourself away from your laptop for a few minutes, maybe you could set the table?”

Lex smiled and stood up. He was hungry, and it was only polite to help.

By the time the table was set, Jody had dinner ready to be served. It was nothing fancy--steaks, baked potatoes and green beans--but it was all good, and Lex was hungry enough to appreciate cardboard by then. Jody talked about how she’d met the Winchesters and learned about hunting. Claire told him about some of her best hunts, and Lex answered their question about what it was like to work for the CIA. Well, he answered most of their questions. Even though he didn’t work there anymore, he wasn’t going to give away all their secrets. He also gave them the quick and dirty version of saving Griff and Sarah.

They cleared the dishes, and hung out in the living room for a while, just talking. Lex enjoyed it. Although they were discussing hunting, it was nice to be with fairly normal humans instead of angels, archangels, Nephilim and a couple of hunters Lex was pretty sure were legendary. Jody and Claire were good people, and he felt like he fit in.

Eventually, though, Jody started yawning and said she was ready for bed. “I’m taking a few days vacation to call all the other hunters and see if I can activate the network. I managed to get a hold of a few today, but I still have a long list tomorrow.”

“I’ll help,” Claire said.

“I would too,” Lex said. “But they don’t know who I am, and it might be more of a bother than a help.”

“You work on your bot,” Jody said. “Your job is to let us know when/if Michael comes through. It’s Claire and my job to have the hunters ready as soon as you let us know where to go.”

Lex nodded. “Deal.” He didn’t tell her that once the bot was running, he didn’t have to do much. He’d spend his time studying lore and working on his special project. The one he’d thought of earlier.

Jody headed for bed, and Claire went to her room, saying she wanted to watch some tv before crashing. Which left the living room to Lex. He went back to his room and grabbed his second laptop.

Settling back on the couch, he connected it and began searching. When he’d thought of Bill and Sarah’s living room and how he’d taken it over, it made him wonder if there was a Sarah in this universe. There wasn’t a Bill, obviously, but there had been Quinn/Valente in his and the Jericho universe. Maybe there was a Sarah here?

He’d been thinking on the problem of finding her, if she existed, while listening to Jody and Claire talk, and he thought he had it. If she did exist, she wasn’t necessarily named “Sarah.” Valente had a different name, but he had looked exactly like Quinn.

Lex took out his cell phone and opened his pictures app. There weren’t many. One of Joshua, his old boss, a couple of Griff, including one selfie with himself. There was a group photo of him, Griff, Bill and Sarah that they’d taken before they left Jericho. Jimmy had taken it.

There were a few he’d taken here. Like the time he’d managed to catch Cas with a confused what the fuck are you doing, Dean? look, and another time he’d surreptitiously taken one of Gabriel sprawled, apparently asleep, all over Sam.

And then there was the picture he needed now--the one he’d taken of Sarah for her fake IRS badge. It was clear, head on and only of her. Perfect for facial recognition.

He sent the picture to his laptop and configured a bot to compare it to various databases. It would take a while, but he’d know eventually if there were a Sarah here.

Griff would be happy. Lex knew he thought of Sarah like a sister, and if she were here, his partner would probably want to meet her.

As soon as his bots were programmed and ready to run, he realized he was tired. If this thing against Michael were anything like the missions he’d done for the Agency, it would involve many hours of work and too few hours of sleep.

He’d better stock up while he could. Leaving his bots running, he headed for bed.

***

Being linked to Lucifer was unsettling for Sam. At a surface level it was similar to his bond with Gabriel. But where the bond was warm, comforting and soft, this link to Lucifer was cold, unsettling and so very hard.

Lucifer strained against it, and Sam could feel how strong he was. He knew now that Gabriel could never have prevailed against him in a straight up fight. Trickery was the only way they could have gotten him even nominally on their side.

Gabriel had warned him against commanding Lucifer to not try to get free of the spell, but it was the obvious command. Gabriel might be better at subtle grace manipulations than Lucifer, but the older archangel was powerful and might be able to just bull force his way out of the binding.

From the feel of it, he was attempting just that. Sam wasn’t certain what, if anything, he could or should do.

_Don’t do anything_ , Gabriel sent. _It’s holding so far._

_But what if it stops holding him?_

_Then we are probably dead._

While true, that was the last thing Sam had wanted to hear.

Lucifer stopped straining at the spell, which was a relief. Sam hadn’t realized how closely he was bound to it. When Lucifer strained, it felt as if he were tearing at Sam’s soul, and it hurt.

Soothing relief poured from Gabriel, easing his soul where Lucifer had torn it.

“You have woven well, brother,” Lucifer said. “I wouldn’t have credited you with being able to create something that could trap me.”

“I’ve done a lot while you were in the Cage,” Gabriel said. “But enough of small talk. Now that we have your attention, let’s get back to discussing how you will help us defeat AU!Michael.”

Lucifer inclined his head, managing to look regal and in control even while bound. “What is your plan, brother?”

Sam had a sudden thought. _Does he have any way of communicating the plan to Michael? It would be just like him to mess this up by sending him a warning._

_He’s still not in this universe. He’d have to open a portal to do that. I don’t think he knows how, and it would violate the command to not leave your presence._

While an excellent point, it didn’t stop Sam from worrying.

While they had that exchange, Gabriel was speaking to Lucifer. “No offense, brother, but we don’t think even you can take him alone. However, we are hoping that you and Jack together will be powerful enough.”

“This is your plan? Hope? A foolish thing to bank on,” Lucifer spoke with a curl to his lip. Sam had a sudden flashback to the Cage. It had been a familiar expression in those days. He fought to keep his reaction from his face and body, uncertain what Lucifer would be able to sense.

_Stay strong, bond mate_

Sam sent gratitude back to Gabriel. They could do this.

“Hope, and the Winchesters,” Gabriel shot back. “It’s worked so far.”

“By some definition of ‘worked.’” Now Lucifer was going for bored, but Sam could feel his coiled strength, just waiting for the moment to attempt to break free. “However, if this is the plan, then let’s get on with it. I would enjoy seeing my son, and I do have other things I would rather be doing than helping you.”

Just then Sam realized the flaw in their plan. They had Lucifer trapped now. But what were they going to do with him when Michael was defeated? He couldn’t stay bound to Sam forever, but nor could they just release the spell. Lucifer had made it very clear they would die for their affront, and, while Sam and Dean had managed to defeat him before. Sam wasn’t as confident they could do it again, especially without the help of Death. The current Death had no reason to help them and lots of reasons to let them fail.

_We’ll figure something out, Sam. Let’s just get through the current crisis before we get to another one._

Gabriel had a point.

“We can’t deal with it immediately,” Gabriel was saying. “Michael is still in Apocalypse World, and we’re not opening a portal for another two days.”

Sam’s phone rang just then. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the display. _Lex_. He answered, putting him on speaker phone. “Lex? Got something?”

The hacker’s voice was grave. “Yeah, Sam. All the signs are there. Michael has come through, and he’s in Cincinnati.”

Oh shit. Dean, Cas and Castiel and all their angels were still in Apocalypse World, not expecting the portal to open for two days. How were they going to hold Michael at bay for two days?

_Obviously, Sammich, we’re going to open the portal early._


	20. Chapter 20

Dean was pacing again. Griff wondered if this was going to be the rest of his life. Watching Dean pace. Once again, he wanted to get back to his partner, who rarely paced but simply sat quietly at his computer doing hacker things. Well, until he got exasperated and yelled at his computer. Sometimes even in languages other than English. It was entertaining, at least. While watching Dean pace was just irritating.

“Cas? It’s what, 46 hours or so until Gabe opens the portal again?” Dean asked, his voice high and slightly shrill.

“45 hours, 16 minutes and 24 seconds,” Cas responded.

“There’s no way to...I don’t know...get word to Gabriel early?” Griff asked.

“No,” Castiel answered. “There’s no way to pass message across the Rift.”

Griff tilted his head. “Why not? I mean, praying to Gabriel is pretty much what Lex did through the whole vessel saving, universe hopping thing.”

Suddenly, every set of eyes was on him. “What? It’s what Lex did.”

Cas got a thoughtful look on his face. “Perhaps because Lex is a vessel?”

Griff nodded. “Makes sense. Which means I should be able to do it also, right?”

Dean and Cas exchanged glances. “Couldn’t hurt, right?” Dean asked.

“Praying generally does not cause pain. That is correct, Dean,” Cas said. Griff was pretty sure he heard a slight note of dry teasing in the angel’s tone.

“Very funny, Cas,” Dean said. “So, Griff, give it a try.”

Griff thought through what he wanted to say. Lex was never terribly reverent with his prayers, but Griff felt like, with his upbringing, he should do better. On the other hand, his Sunday school teaching hadn’t exactly covered angelic invasions, and he decided maybe direct was better.

“Gabriel, Michael has come through early. We have a small force of angels. Can you open the portal to let us through?”

“Not much of a prayer, mate,” Ketch commented.

Griff shrugged. “Gabriel’s not exactly the most reverent of beings from what I’ve seen. Plus, you should have heard some of the stuff Lex called ‘prayer.’ It always worked for him.”

“So what happens next?” Dean asked. “How long does it take?”

“Not sure. When Lex prayed, Gabriel usually opened a portal within a couple of minutes. But he was waiting for us. I don't know. It might take longer now.”

“Assuming he heard,” Dean said.

“Assuming that, yes,” Griff agreed. “But I'm pretty sure he did. Unless this universe is somehow different from the other ones.”

“It should not be,” Cas said. “They should be similar in how they work.”

“We need to let the rebels know what happened,” Ketch said. “I don't know that we can get them here in time to go with us, but we need to let them know where we are. Otherwise, they will worry.”

Dean was nodding while Ketch spoke, and, as soon as the Englishman finished, Dean said, “I agree. Hael, can you let Mary and Bobby know?”

“They will want to come with me,” she said, proving that she knew them well.

“We could use them,” Ketch said.

“Yes, we could,” Dean agreed. “Go ahead and bring them along. But the rest of them need to stay put and hidden. It would be like Michael to leave a few of his angels behind to trap them or us.”

Hael gave a half salute which, by his expression, embarrassed Dean while it amused Griff. The angel vanished.

“Shouldn't there be a portal by now?” Dean asked, his tone managing to be irritated and worried at the same time.

“Gabriel will come through,” Griff said. Although he had no objective reason to believe it, he was confident it was true.

Hael returned with Bobby and Mary. Dean hastily filled them in on the situation, and they looked as worried as Dean about the situation.

Maybe it was his upbringing, but Griff noticed that he had more confidence than the rest in the “Good guy” angels, like Gabriel, while being more worried about the alliance with Lucifer. He still couldn't believe everyone was apparently okay with that.

However, his confidence in Gabriel was rewarded a few minutes later when the now-familiar yellow line appeared in front of them, followed by Gabriel stepping through. Behind him came Sam and another man Griff didn't recognize. By the way all the humans from Griff's universe straightened and reached for weapons, he assumed the stranger must be Lucifer. The way his grace suddenly tried to leap out of his chest was also a clue to his identity.

“Missed me?” Gabriel said, with a cocky grin. Outwardly, the archangel looked as if he didn’t have a care in the world. But the grace in Griff’s chest said otherwise. He was learning to trust it at least a little bit. So the way it jumped at Lucifer and seemed cautious about Gabriel was distracting.

No one responded to his light-hearted question. Everyone was looking at Lucifer. Mary and Ketch’s mouths were set in identical lines, hard and unforgiving. Hael just looked curious, as if she didn’t really know who he was. Cas and Castiel both arrayed themselves behind Dean. Griff almost thought he saw shadows of their wings, mantled over Dean, who looked resigned.

Griff was anything but resigned, although he was trying to keep an open mind about this. He had a lot of respect for Gabriel, and he liked Sam. If they thought this plan would work, he wanted to support them, but the very thought of allying with Lucifer just left him cold.

“Guess not,” Gabriel followed up a moment later.

“Gabe,” Sam said, a quiet warning in his voice.

Lucifer stood silent but obviously watchful behind them.

“So Michael went through early,” Gabriel said. He nodded at Griff. “Nice job with the prayer. You taking lessons from Lex?”

Griff shrugged. “I just thought that was how it was done. I mean, him knowing you longer than me and all.”

“All right,” Dean said. “Enough joking around. Portal’s open. Michael is on the other side of it. Let’s do this.”

“Do we know where he is?” Cas asked.

“Would you believe Cincinnati?” Sam was answering Cas, but his eyes were on his brother. Some sort of silent communication was happening between them, and they must have agreed on something based on the nods they both gave each other.

Griff wondered what that had been about, but he’d seen the Winchesters communicate that way before and knew he’d only get an answer if and when they were ready.

“Cincinnati?” Ketch asked. “Why there?”

Castiel answered him. “It’s where he killed our Gabriel.” He gave Gabriel an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, brother. He tortured me. I held back what I could, but he did see that you were a part of this.”

Gabriel shook his head. “Killed in Cincinnati? What a way to go. Not Rome or someplace interesting?”

“No. I’m afraid not,” Castiel said.

“No accounting for some people’s tastes,” Gabriel said.

Griff’s grace was telling him Gabriel was joking to conceal his nerves. While he was listening to the conversation, he kept his eyes on Lucifer.

Who apparently finally noticed him. “Who’s this?” Lucifer asked. “That’s not a double.”

“I’m Griff,” he said, deciding to answer for himself. “I’m an alternate vessel from another universe.” He didn’t see any point in lying.

“How many other universes are we dealing with here?” Lucifer asked. “One wasn’t enough?”

“Apparently not,” Gabriel said, his tone snappish. “And that’s really not the important thing here. We need to get back to the home universe and finish this before all Hell breaks loose on my home.”

Lucifer motioned to the portal. “Then let’s go. I’ve had rather enough of this.”

Gabriel ignored him and spoke to Dean. “How many angels has Jack gathered? And how quickly can they be ready to cross over?”

“Fifty or so,” Dean answered. “And way to go not telling us he could do that, Gabe. I thought we were all on the same side here? What was all that about not keeping secrets from each other?”

Gabriel actually looked abashed, which surprised Griff. This was not what the Church had taught about angels.

“You’re right, Dean,” Gabriel said. “I should have told you. I just wasn’t sure Jack was going to be able to do it. The theory was sound, but until he had a chance to call them, we couldn’t know for certain. I didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up.”

“My son can call angels to him?” Lucifer asked.

Griff didn’t like the pleased tone in Lucifer’s voice. He liked Jack and didn’t want him falling in with the Devil.

“He can,” Gabriel answered. His voice was harsh, as if the words were being pulled out of him unwillingly.

Lucifer smiled. On the surface it was the smile of a pleased father, but Griff had spent time with killers, and he recognized the smile of a man (or angel) who was plotting to use something, or someone, to his advantage.

“That’s my boy,” Lucifer said.

“Enough with the proud papa act,” Dean said. “We need to get going. Hael, can you please let Jack know we need to cross over as soon as possible?”

“Yes,” she said, relief in her voice. Angel senses picking up on the tension here?

Griff’s grace was doing the Macarena in his chest, and he wanted to get as far away from Lucifer as possible, as fast as possible. Unfortunately, he doubted that he was going to be able to for a while.

“Is anyone from the Hunter network able to monitor Cincinnati?” Dean asked. “Give us some idea of what we’re walking in to?”

“Lex is still at Jody’s, and he’s monitoring,” Sam answered.

Griff did some quick calculations and didn’t like what he came up with. Assuming his geography wasn’t completely off, it was something like 10-13 hours from Sioux Falls to Cincinnati. There was no way Lex would make it in time, and Griff didn’t want to fight this thing without his partner. Coming here without him was one thing. The big throw down? He wanted Lex at his side for that.

“All right,” Dean was saying. “That’s good. We’ll contact him as soon as we cross over and see what the situation is.”

Griff managed to catch Cas’ eye, and the angel gave him a small frown. He motioned him to come over. Dean and Sam were discussing something, and Ketch and Mary had joined them. Lucifer was standing off to the side, looking bored, and Castiel was watching him, those dark eyes missing nothing.

“What is it, Griff?” Cas asked as he walked over.

“Your wings are healed, right? So you can fly?”

“Yes,” the angel answered, his tone puzzled.

“Can you go get Lex and bring him to Cincinnati?” He hesitated and decided to just say it outright. “I don’t want to fight without him.”

Cas gave him an understanding smile. “Of course. He can monitor things on his computer from anywhere. It would be faster if he were with us rather than relying on the phone.”

Griff couldn’t stop the sigh of relief that escaped him. Cas understood and wasn’t going to make him feel foolish about it.

Jack and his angels arrived just as Cas was walking back to stand by Dean. Jack smiled as soon as he saw Gabriel. “Uncle! Look at what I managed!”

Gabriel smiled back “We'll done, nephew.”

Jack's gaze shifted to Lucifer. He started to smile at him, but then his expression turned sober. Griff wondered what he was seeing with his angelic vision.

“Son,” Lucifer said, his voice and smile warm and welcoming.

Now Jack frowned. “You are Lucifer?”

Lucifer's smile slipped for a moment, but only for a moment. If Griff hadn't been looking for it, he might not have seen it. “Of course. I’m your father.”

He had to suppress the sudden urge to giggle as “Luke, I am your father” suddenly went through his head.

“No,” Jack said. “Cas is my father. You were nothing but a sperm donor.”

The temperature seemed to drop several degrees. Griff distinctly smelled ozone. And his grace pulsed even harder in his chest, almost enough to cause him to double over in pain. Only years of experience in hiding his emotions in front of criminals allowed him to remain upright and outwardly impassive.

“Lucifer,” Sam said, his tone warning. “Enough. Remember the command to harm no one.”

Lucifer actually gave a growl, but the ozone scent faded, and the temperature went back to normal. “You and I will discuss this later, son.”

Jack gave him an incredulous expression and turned to Dean. “What’s the plan?”

Dean motioned to Gabriel. “Ask him. I think he’s running the show at the moment.”

Jack turned to Gabriel, who said, “Michael is in Cincinnati. Lex is monitoring the situation. We need to get over there, gather intelligence about his position and then plan our strategy.”

Jack nodded. “Then what are we waiting for?”

Gabriel glanced at everyone in turn. No one said anything. “Nothing, apparently. Let’s go.”

Cas caught Griff’s eye and gave him a nod, which he took to mean the angel would fetch Lex as soon as they crossed over. He nodded back, took a deep breath and crossed back to his universe. It would be good to be home, but he wished they weren’t about to face what were probably steep, if not unwinnable, odds.

***

Lucifer had never stopped fighting his control, and Sam was getting tired. He only hoped Lucifer wasn’t picking up on his fatigue.

Gabriel obviously had, though, because as soon as they crossed over, the archangel put a hand on Sam’s arm and sent healing grace through him, easing his fatigue and making him feel as if he’d had several nights of good sleep.

_Should you be wasting grace on that?_ he asked.

_You’re my mate. And the only one keeping my brother from a killing spree. Who better to spend it on?_

_Well, when you put it that way…_

Gabriel gave him a quick grin and watched angels and humans file through the portal. As soon as everyone was back in their universe, the angel closed the portal, which he had opened just outside the Bunker.

Sam had enjoyed making Lucifer fly them back here. Gabriel could have opened the portal just as easily in Orlando, but that wouldn’t have been as much fun. Lucifer had particularly grumbled about “carting that stupid car along.”

“All right,” he said. “Griff, can you call Lex and find out if he’s learned anything new?”

“I can do better than that,” Cas said. “Why don’t I just go get him? His computer works from anywhere, doesn’t it?”

Sam caught sudden tension from Griff and suspected he’d made the request of Cas. He’d seen the angel and vessel talking just before they crossed over. It was a good idea, though. Lex could keep tabs on things from anywhere, and he did have his own grace. He wasn’t a great fighter, but Sam thought he could hold his own, if he had to. Especially if Griff were backing him up.

Gabriel seemed to consider for a moment before saying, “That’s fine. Bring Jody and Claire if they are there.” He turned to Jack. “May we borrow one of your angels for transport?”

Jack stood up straighter at the request. “Certainly.” He nodded at an angel Sam didn’t know, and he and Cas flew off with a flutter of wings.

“Do you want any of the other Hunters?” Dean asked. “Some of them are good enough to go up against angels.”

Gabriel nodded. “That’s a good idea. Assuming we can round them up.”

“Jody was supposed to have contacted them and given them the word to be ready,” Dean said.

“Then let’s do it. Jack, can we borrow a few more angels?”

“Of course, Uncle. Whatever you need.”

The angels with Jack straightened and most of them looked...excited? Really? About playing ferry with humans? What could possibly be exciting about that?

Cas and the other angel appeared. The other angel had Jody and Claire while Cas had Lex, who was clutching his backpack and looking harried. “Dude! If either of my laptops got damaged from how fast you stuffed them into my backpack, I’m taking it out of your hide.”

“I’m an angel. I don’t have ‘hide.’”

Sam covered his smirk with a hand, and he felt Gabriel’s amusement through the bond. Cas was good at falling back on his “clueless angel” act when it served him.

From the sharp look Lex gave him, Sam didn’t think the hacker had fallen for it, which just served to widen his smirk.

_That one needs to be bonded to someone._ Gabriel sent.

_Plenty of angels available now. Hope they realize what they’re getting in for if they do._

Sam wasn’t certain what to make of the sudden stillness in the bond.

_Did you sense something from Michael?_

_No._

_What then?_

_Nothing to worry about, Sammich._

Sam really didn’t like the sound of that, but if it wasn’t Michael, they’d worry about it later.

“So about Cincinnati,” Lex was saying. “There were plenty of signs, and they all popped up at basically the same time.”

“What kind of signs?” Griff asked.

“Rainbows appearing out of nowhere, with no rain in sight,” Lex answered. “An armored truck crashed. No one was hurt, but several bags of coins spilled out over the street. Only the dimes, though. Every bag with dimes broke but no other coin bags. Oh, and after the rainbows appeared, a huge...flock? What do you call a bunch of butterflies? Anyway, a bunch of butterflies fluttered down the middle of the city.”

Most of the angels were nodding as Lex spoke. “Those are all angel signs,” Castiel said.

Dean was muttering something about “money never shows up around Cas” at the same time Griff asked, “Does that mean weird stuff just showed up near here?”

“Almost certainly,” Castiel answered as he turned to survey their surroundings. “But it appears as if we are far enough from a major city for them not to be noticed.”

“Oh, it wouldn’t matter,” Sam said. “When we were in the middle of an honest to God Apocalypse, and the signs were everywhere, no one knew them for what they were.”

Dean was grinning. “Yeah, most of them were attributed to sunspots or global warming.”

“You humans are so easy to fool,” Lucifer said.

Sam watched Cas, Castiel and Gabriel all bristle at the comment.

“Guys,” Sam said. “Don’t let him needle you. He’s distracting you from what’s important.” He turned to Lex. “Do you know where they are in Cincinnati and exactly what they are doing?” Then he glanced at Jody. “And can you give Jack a list of the other hunters and their locations? We can send angels to fetch them and bring them here, assuming they are willing to be part of the fight.”

Jody motioned to Jack, and the two of them stepped aside to speak. Lex took out his phone and swiped and tapped on it for a few seconds. “Okay, assuming I’m reading the signs right, they came through in a wooded area just north of a university farm. I’m not seeing news reports of swarming angels, so I think they are staying put, at least for the moment.”

Castiel was nodding. “That would make sense. Michael would want to stay concealed until he had a chance to assess where he was and formulate a plan. He’s smart enough to not assume this universe is like ours. He’d check things out first.”

“That’s our opportunity, then,” Gabriel said. “We’ve been planning how to fight him for months. He hasn’t had a chance to plan how to fight us.”

“We need whatever advantage we have,” Sam said. “Even with the angels Jack has gathered, we’re badly outnumbered.”

Jack and Jody ended their conference, and several angels vanished. “They’ll be back with Hunters soon,” Jack said.

“Good. Then we can go,” Gabriel said.

“Do we want to send someone in to scout?” Dean asked.

Hael perked up at that, and Ketch put a hand on her shoulder. Sam wondered if they might not be bonding soon. Who knew he and Gabriel had started something?

“You want to go, Hael?” Jack asked.

“I’ve becoming quite good at scouting,” the angel replied.

“I’m going with her,” Ketch said, his tone firm,

After a quick discussion, everyone agreed it was a good idea. Hael and Ketch flew off. Lex pulled out his laptop and started typing furiously. Sam went over to stand behind him. When he saw what was on the screen, he had to suppress a gasp.

“Are you really hacking into a military satellite?”

Everyone stopped talking. All human and a few angel eyes swiveled to look at Lex.

“No,” Lex said.

“No?” Sam asked. “Because that’s certainly what it looks like.”

“Oh, it is a military satellite, yes. But I’m not ‘hacking’ into it. I’ve already hacked it.”

“Monkey,” Gabriel said, his tone full of pride and affection.

Lex glanced up at him. “Monkey? Please don’t ever call me that again.”

Gabriel just gave him a grin, and Sam knew Lex had developed a new nickname. Whether he wanted it or not.

Sam looked back at the screen where, yes, the satellite image was up. “How close can you get us?”

Lex went back to his laptop, typing commands at a furious speed. As Sam watched, the image zoomed in until he was looking at a small wooded area. Lex zoomed in more, and now Sam could see figures moving around. He estimated maybe a hundred or so.

Behind him, he heard the flutter of wings. He turned and saw angels appearing with Hunters in tow. Men and women, all grizzled from old pain and the hard life of hunting. He knew most of them and smiled when Garth emerged from behind a group of angels and hurried forward to engulf him in a hug.

“Garth! Good to see you, man,” Sam said, returning the hug with enthusiasm. Garth let him go and went to hug Dean.

Dean, Sam and Jody quickly briefed the Hunters on the situation. Sam was impressed at how well they were taking the news of allying themselves with angels. Although, considering they had just been flown here by angels, he supposed that shouldn’t be a surprise.

Just as they were finishing the briefing, Lex swore. “Shit!”

Sam swiveled to look at the laptop screen. “What?”

Lex pointed at moving figures on the satellite view and zoomed in. Sam saw it and added his own, “Shit!”

“Yeah,” Lex said. “Ketch and Hael got captured. Who knows what they’ll do to them.”

“Nothing good,” Dean said as he and Cas approached to look at the screen.

Sam watched Cas look at the screen, and he could almost see the angel go into tactical mode.

A moment later, Cas was nodding. “All right. We go in now. Jack, come here.”

Jack moved so fast Sam wasn’t sure he hadn’t teleported. “Yes, Cas.”

Cas was pointing at the screen. “Can you send half of your angels here, and the other half here?” He indicated two points on the screen, on roughly opposite sides of the area where enemy angels were massing.

“I can,” Jack said.

“Good. Then you, Lex and Griff go here. Your job is to find Michael’s Nephilim and take care of him.”

There wasn’t much question from the tone in his voice what he meant about “take care of him.” Sam noticed Lex’s wince when he was named, and Griff stepped over to put a hand on the hacker’s shoulder. Yeah, Lex would be fine with Griff there.

“Lex and Griff, you keep lesser angels clear of Jack so he can deal with the Nephilim.”

“Got it,” Griff said, no fear or nerves in his voice. He made it sound like he was just going to pick up some groceries.

“Dean, you, Castiel and me will rescue Ketch and Hael. Jody and Claire, you’re with us.”

The two Wayward Sisters nodded their understanding.

“Guess I know where you want us?” Gabriel said, his tone almost a drawl.

“Of course. You, Sam and your other brother.”

“I have a name,” Lucifer commented, his tone amused.

“True,” Cas said. “And I’m choosing not to use it.”

Sam stifled a laugh. Being bonded to Dean was making Cas salty. It was a good look on him.

“Mary and Bobby, you go with them,” Cas added.

“What about the rest of the Hunters?” Jody asked, indicating the nearly twenty men and women standing around, waiting for an assignment.

“Send them with Jack’s angels?” Dean suggested.

Cas nodded, and Jack and Jody went to work, splitting the angels and Hunters.

Griff casually walked over to the Impala. “Keys, Dean.”

Dean whirled to glare at him. “What for? You’re not thinking I’m going to let you drive her?”

“Nope,” Griff said, a half smile quirking his lips. “But apparently Lex didn’t have time to grab his weapons, just his computer stuff. He’ll be better backup if he’s armed.”

“Serves him right for leaving his weapons behind,” Dean shot back. But he also tossed over the keys.

“Hey, it’s not my fault Cas showed up, grabbed me and my stuff without even a ‘by your leave’ and flew me here,” Lex protested.

“You gotta learn to keep your weapons on you at all times,” Dean said.

“I was in the fucking _bathroom_!”

“Even there,” Dean said, but he was grinning.

Griff opened the trunk, a big grin on his face too, and he pulled out a shotgun--Lex’s better weapon; he was still pretty bad with a rifle--and an angel blade. He brought both of them plus a box of shells to the hacker, who grabbed them, sheathed the blade and checked over and loaded the shotgun.

“Angel killers,” Lex asked.

“Of course,” Griff replied.

Sam was both pleased and a bit appalled at how easily they were talking about killing angels. But it was what they needed now, so he guessed it was appropriate.

Then he had a thought. “Wait a minute. Most of the humans here can’t tell Jack’s angels from Michael’s. How do we make sure our guys aren’t confusing the two sides?” All the angels, on both sides, were wearing the same kind of gear. “I guess our side could wear...I don’t know...armbands?” It seemed lame but was the best he could come up with.

Gabriel cleared his throat. “I think we can do better than that.” He raised his hands and ostentatiously snapped his fingers. Sam was aware of grace flowing from him to all of Jack’s angels. A moment later, their combat gear changed color to the most vibrant white Sam had ever seen. He’d never even thought about applying the word “vibrant” to white until now.

“Nice!” Lex exclaimed.

Sam nodded. “That works.”

“Can’t Michael just either undo it or change the color of his own angels to match?” Griff asked, ever practical.

“Probably he could,” Gabriel answered. “But if he’s like my brother, he won’t think of using his grace that way.” He glanced at Lucifer. “We were the only two brothers who did that sort of thing, and even you, Luci, never used grace for much except brute force.”

“True,” Lucifer agreed with a nod. “You were the only one who wasted your time that way.”

Gabriel gave his brother a grin, with teeth in it. “Not so much a waste now.”

Lucifer shrugged. “I don’t know. You’re the one who thinks bringing all these humans along is a good idea. We angels can tell each other apart without parlor tricks.”

Gabriel shook his head and made a point of turning away from his brother. Sam could feel the echoes of old pain through the bond.

_I’m sorry,_ he sent.

_My brother is a big bag of dicks and delights in it. Nothing will change that._

Sam knew that for the truth which is why he still worried about what they were going to do with Lucifer when this was all over.

Of course, that was the exact moment Lucifer once again tested the limits of the binding.

It still held. For now.

Sam tried to ignore it and focus on the final preparations.

In just a few more minutes, everyone was ready to go. Even Lex had packed up and stowed his laptop, although Griff had needed to threaten “pull your battery out if you don’t close it up now.” Lex had been giving them up to the minute updates, but they were finally to the point where they just needed to go.

Jack’s angels and Hunters left first. Jack, Griff and Lex went next. Sam nodded to Dean, who nodded back just before Cas and Castiel winged out.

That left Sam, Gabriel, Lucifer, Mary and Bobby. Mary was giving Lucifer an unfriendly appraising look, and Sam sensed the archangel was amused by it. He didn’t like feeling even a hint of Lucifer’s emotions.

“Time to go, kids,” Gabriel said. “Let’s deal with Michael and all go home.”

He made it sound so simple. Sam knew it was going to be much harder than that. But he put an arm around Gabriel’s waist and commanded Lucifer to fly them to their appointed spot on the battlefield.


	21. Chapter 21

Dean and his group landed, and immediately, he ducked behind his angels, figuring they were better able to handle whatever might be in their immediate vicinity. He was amused to note that his mom and Bobby did the same.

His two angels moved to leave a few feet between them, which eliminated the cover for the humans, but Dean was all right with it. He’d had just enough time to see there were no angels in their immediate vicinity.

He got his rifle into firing position. He’d made sure to load it with angel killing bullets before Cas flew them into position. Jody and Claire moved into a position where the three could all cover each other.

“Do you know where Hael and Ketch are?” Dean asked his angels, out loud for the benefit of the other two humans.

“Over there,” Cas said, pointing in the direction of a large group of enemy angels, maybe fifteen or twenty of them.

“Great,” Dean said grumpily. “Nothing like having to fight our way through a huge group to get there.” Even as he was speaking, he was raising his rifle to his shoulder and taking aim. He fired, and one angel went down. He heard two more shots and knew Claire and Jody had fired. One more angel went down, but the other just glanced down to where a bullet had grazed him. Dean was liking this grace-enhanced vision.

“Really, Jody?” Dean said. “That’s the best you can do?”

Claire chuckled as she lined up her next shot, taking down one more angel.

Jody grumbled but fired again, taking down yet another.

Dean fired one more time and killed his, but, by this time the angels had figured out where the attack was coming from, and they were starting in their direction. The three humans had just enough time for one more volley before the angels were in hand-to-hand range.

Dean had just enough time to wonder why they had run instead of flying, not that he was complaining. He drew his angel blade and surprised the first angel who attacked him. Apparently, he wasn’t expecting a human to move as fast as he did.

Jody and Claire flanked him, drawing their own blades. Cas and Castiel stayed on the edges of their little group, preventing the enemy angels from flanking the humans.

After Dean had killed his second angel, Cas screamed in his mind, _Dean, down!_

Dean knew what that warning meant because they had drilled it over and over again with Gabriel. He reached out and grabbed Claire, pulling her close, dropping to one knee with her and pushing her head down. Castiel shifted to cover Jody, and just as they were all in position, a flare of grace exploded over them, blocked at the last moment by overlapping angel wings.

As soon as the white light faded, Dean stood, eyes scanning for who had attacked them. His gaze fell on a young man, wielding a blade which looked exactly like Jack’s. His head was tilted, and his eyes showed confusion. Apparently he hadn’t expected the angels to be able to block a grace attack.

But Dean doubted the surprise would buy them much time. The five of them were no match for a Nephilim, and there were still a dozen angels backing him up.

They were so screwed.

***

Jack flew Lex and Griff to their appointed area, and Griff covered Lex with his rifle while his partner got his bearings. He made a note to work with Lex on his reaction time. Maybe Gabriel could use his grace to come up with some simulations or something?

Jack’s blade was in his hand, and he was circling, obviously examining the surroundings for danger. Lex had his shotgun ready, and he maneuvered so he was back to back with Griff.

Good tactics.

Griff scanned their surroundings. While he could hear the sound of fighting going on around them, their immediate area was clear.

“Can you find the Nephilim with your angel powers?” Lex was asking.

Griff was only half paying attention. His grace was dancing in his chest, and he could almost _feel_ something off to their right, just to the southwest of their position.

“He’s hiding his grace from me,” Jack was saying, frustration in his voice.

“This way,” Griff said, moving in the direction his grace was indicating. He didn’t know exactly how he knew, but he was slowly learning to trust his grace and what it told him.

Lex didn’t question him and started following his lead. Jack, however, hadn’t worked as much with Griff and asked, “How can you be sure?”

“I just am, all right?” Griff snapped back. “Just follow me.”

Surprisingly, Jack did as he was told. Angel powers or not, he was still a kid, and Griff was used to giving orders and being obeyed. Out of the corner of his eye, he could just make out Lex’s grin.

Five angels got in their way. Griff was about to battle them, but Jack said, “Wait a minute.”

Right. The kid was probably going to try to convert them, or whatever it was that he did to get angels on his side.

Three changed sides, but the other two kept on coming. Griff shot one, and it fell. Lex’s shotgun went off next to him. He hit the angel, but it wasn’t a good hit. It stumbled but recovered enough to keep walking.

The angels Jack had bound were dazed, and it looked like the young Nephilim was focused on them. Griff let his rifle dangle from its strap, and he drew his angel blade.

“Stay back, Lex. I got this one.”

“Right. I’ll keep watch for any others.”

The angel was smiling as it approached, clearly not threatened by one human, even one wielding an angel blade.

“Yeah, dude. You keep thinking you got this,” Griff muttered as he lunged forward, dodging the angel’s clumsy thrust. He’d caught the thing off guard. Good. As he finished his lunge, he stabbed his blade into its rib cage and directly up to where the vessel’s heart lay.

Grace exploded from its body, and it fell lifeless to the ground.

Another shotgun blast went off, and Griff whirled to see three more angels approaching. Lex’s blast got one of them, but the other two were unhurt and too close for Lex to risk another shot.

Griff’s eyes darted to Jack and his new angels. Damn. Still distracted. Okay, this was up to him and Lex.

His partner had dropped the shotgun and drawn his blade. His expression was focused. Griff knew him well enough to know he was frightened, but he’d hold his ground.

“You took on demons with a squeeze bottle. You got this,” Griff said by way of encouragement.

Lex actually smiled at that and stepped forward to engage one of the angels. Griff took the other, and, okay, this one knew how to fight. With a quick glance to make sure Lex was doing okay--his angel apparently hadn’t seen foil fencing moves before, so that was good--Griff made a few test attacks to test his angel’s skill. He quickly learned that the guy wasn’t bad, but he was expecting a human to go down fast, and Griff was too good for that. He found an opening, took it, and one more angel was gone.

He idly wondered where dead angels went as he turned to check on Lex, who was just finishing a killing thrust on his own angel.

“Nice job, partner,” Griff said.

“All in a day’s work,” Lex replied with a satisfied grin. Gabriel’s training had done what it was supposed to.

“I’ve got these three,” Jack said from behind them.

Griff turned to see the Nephilim flanked by his three new angels.

“Do you still know where to go?” Jack asked.

Griff consulted his grace. Whatever he was picking up on had moved but not far. “Yeah. This way.”

He led the way, heading for what he still wasn’t certain, but trusting the grace to be taking him where they needed to be.

They hadn’t gone far before Griff knew his grace had taken them in the right direction. Just in front of them, down a gentle dip, were the group that had accompanied Dean. The hunter, Claire and Jody were battling a small group of angels, while Cas and Castiel were trying wolf pack tactics on a young man wielding a blade like Jack’s. The two angels looked to be in trouble. Cas was bleeding freely down one side while Castiel was limping. Griff thought he had a broken leg.

“Angel killers won’t work on him,” Jack said. The Nephilim was standing straight, and his eyes glowed yellow. “Keep the other angels clear of me, and I’ll take him.”

As Jack spoke, Griff alternated his attention between him and the opposing Nephilim. He wasn’t certain Jack could “take him.” The enemy was an excellent fighter. On the other hand, this was why they were here.

“Cover my back,” Griff said to Lex. “This is rifle work.”

“On it,” Lex said, his voice steady. Apparently taking down one angel in hand-to-hand had done wonders for his confidence.

Griff had reloaded his rifle after the last skirmish, and he raised it to his shoulder, again aiming carefully. This was going to be tricky. Angels and humans were close together and moving erratically. However, Claire got in a good blow, driving one angel backwards. Griff fired, and it went down.

Jack ordered his angels to stay with Griff and Lex. From the way they shuffled their feet, he could tell they weren’t happy about it, but it made sense. Jody and Claire wouldn’t be able to tell them from the bad guys.

Just as Jack started moving, another enemy angel moved far enough away from the Hunters for Griff to get a clear shot. He took it.

Two angels going down was enough to get the attention of the others. Through his scope, Griff could see the Nephilim giving orders. Right, Cas and Castiel were so outclassed by this guy that he could give orders in the middle of fighting them. Griff hoped Jack could take him.

Five angels broke off from the fight and started for Griff and his group. Perfect. Now he had a clear field of fire. As they approached, Griff said, “You angels take the ones I don’t kill.”

“Why should we obey you?” one asked.

From his back, Lex said, “Because Jack is our friend, and he’d be pretty pissed if we died.”

Griff suppressed a smile as he shot one of the approaching angels. Lex had used pretty much the same tone of voice Griff had used when he’d gotten fed up with Lex and his flying anxiety in Bill and Sarah’s universe. Apparently the hacker had been taking notes.

It worked. The three angels drew their blades and readied themselves.

Griff took down one more before the angels closed. Lex’s shotgun went off, and this time he and angel went down. Jack’s three angels moved to intercept the remaining opponents, and Griff watched just long enough to see they had it well in hand. He returned his attention to the Nephilim fight.

Cas and Castiel had moved back to allow Jack to engage Michael’s Nephilim. Castiel had limped off to one side while Cas had joined with Dean. Jody and Claire were battling one angel while Dean and Cas were taking on the remaining two. Griff managed to pick off one of them, evening the odds.

“Nice shooting,” Lex said.

Jack and the enemy Nephilim were circling, obviously feeling out how good the other was. Griff wasn’t certain he liked what he was seeing.

Their angels took down their opposition, but Griff only noted it in passing.

“Michael’s is better than Jack isn’t he?” Lex asked, his tone low and worried.

“I think he might be,” Griff answered.

Dean and Cas finished off their angels at the same time Claire killed hers.

Now there were only Nephilim on the battlefield.

“No one in sight,” Lex said. Griff was glad he was keeping watch because he couldn’t drag his attention from the fight.

The enemy Nephilim darted in, and Jack barely managed to block the attack. Lex drew in a hissing breath beside him. “That’s not good.”

Another pass almost left Jack off balance. Griff lifted his scope to his eye, wanting a good look at their expressions. The enemy Nephilim wore a grin of triumph while Jack looked barely on the edge of terror.

One more pass, and Jack managed to dodge a slash at his side.

Griff started smiling.

“What?” Lex asked. “This looks bad.”

“Yes, it does. And that’s how it’s supposed to look.” He handed over the rifle. “Watch his movements.”

Lex lifted the scope to his eye. Griff recognized the moment his partner got it. “He’s faking being worse than he really is. That’s not the way he usually moves.”

Jack made a clumsy feint, which served to draw the Nephilim a little farther from Cas and the rest of the group. The two angels moved slowly to put themselves between their humans and the battling half-angels.

“He’s keeping him from remembering the humans,” Lex said. “Jack’s afraid he might try a grace attack on them.”

Griff nodded. “Risky, but I think it’s the best idea. Gabriel taught him well.”

A minute later, just as Jack had managed to draw his opponent a good distance away from the humans and injured angels, he changed tactics. Now he went on the offensive, his movements becoming faster and more fluid. Even at this distance, Griff could see the confident expression slide off the Nephilim’s face.

It was all over not long after that. Jack performed a perfect lunge and thrust straight under the other’s rib cage. Grace exploded, and the Nephilim collapsed.

Griff took his rifle back from Lex and straightened from his kneeling position. “Guess that’s that.”

“Guess so,” Lex said.

“What’s next?” Griff asked.

So of course, that’s when they heard a scream from the other side of the battlefield. A scream that echoed through their minds as much as their ears.

“Well, shit,” Griff said as he and Lex started jogging in the direction the scream had come from.


	22. Chapter 22

Lucifer flew Sam, Gabriel, Mary and Bobby to the location Cas had indicated. However, he “landed” them a few inches above the ground. Gabriel dropped down and kept his balance, as did Mary. Sam and Bobby, however, landed badly. Sam managed to turn his into a roll, and he came up on his feet. Bobby, however, twisted his ankle as he fell, and Sam could hear the _crack_ as the bone broke.

He turned on Lucifer. “What part of don’t hurt anyone did you fail to understand?”

“I never hurt him directly,” the fallen angel said, his tone amused.

“Well then, no more hurting our allies indirectly, either,” Sam snapped.

“As you wish,” came the quiet response.

A chill went down his spine at the answer, which was entirely too similar to a genie granting a wish. Genies granted a limited number of wishes. Was he running the risk of losing his hold on Lucifer if he made too many demands on him? He wished he knew more about how this spell worked.

Mary was kneeling by Bobby and examining the older man’s ankle. “Pretty sure it’s broken.”

Sam wished Cas or Castiel were here. He didn’t want Gabriel to use any of his limited grace on healing, and there was no way he was letting Lucifer near the man.

Bobby waved them off. “Leave me my rifle, and I’ll be fine here.” He pointed off to the east. “I see angels over there.”

“And I think they’ve seen us,” Gabriel said, his tone mild. His blade dropped into his hand.

Sam unlimbered his rifle. He wasn’t as good a shot with it as Griff or Dean, but he was good enough to pick off a few angels before they got too close.

Mary’s rifle went off, and one angel went down. Sam took down another. Even Bobby killed one from his seated position. Sam felt disquiet from Gabriel.

_I know you don’t like using angel killers, but we’re only human. We need to even the odds._

_I know. Still doesn’t mean I have to like it._

Sam had nothing to say to that, so he fired and took down another angel. Mary and Bobby fired another volley before the angels were too close. Sam dropped his rifle, drew his angel blade and stepped up beside Gabriel. He felt his angel’s focus through the bond. Just focus. No fear. That was good. It seemed that once the fight had started, he was ready and in the game.

The rest of the angels closed, and Gabriel stepped forward to meet them. Sam directed Lucifer to battle the enemy angels, and he did so, although Sam could feel him fighting the spell. He just hoped it would last until Michael was killed.

Mary drew her angel blade and moved up beside Sam. The two of them fought together, guarding each other’s backs. The enemy angels obviously realized they couldn’t affect the two archangels with their angel blades, and they tried to go around them to get to the more vulnerable humans.

Gabriel was such a joy to watch in battle that Sam couldn’t help but peek at him when he could. The archangel thrust, lunged and moved with such speed and grace that he appeared to be two angels, or more. No enemy that got within his reach made it away.

Lucifer was doing the absolute bare minimum that he could to follow Sam’s commands. If an angel walked directly up to him, he killed it, quickly and expeditiously, but unlike Gabriel, who was protecting an invisible area, Lucifer didn’t move a step beyond where he was. It frustrated Sam, but, honestly, could he have expected anything else?

Gabriel must have noticed his brother’s behavior because he increased the area he was covering. Sam could feel through the bond that it was causing him strain, and he nudged Mary into position to try to cover some of the area Gabriel wasn’t.

They had killed nearly twenty angels before things went to Hell.

Sam had only a second’s warning before the grace attack came.

_Sam! Down!_

They had drilled that so many times that he didn’t need to think. He just dropped flat, eyes closed and aimed at the ground. Mary had been drilling with Castiel and Hael, and she dropped as soon as he did.

The attack went over them and wasn’t blocked. Which meant that Gabriel was out of position.

Sam heard two screams. One with his ears. The other in his head. His bond to Gabriel stuttered, and he panicked for a moment.

Rolling to his feet, he took stock of what had happened. Bobby lay behind him, burned sockets gazing into the sky as if in surprise. However, he had no time to mourn because the next thing he saw was Gabriel, lying on the ground, leaking grace and blood in equal amounts. Standing over him was one of the angels they had been fighting. But wait? How could a lesser angel hurt Gabriel?

Sam. Gabriel’s mental voice was faint. And fading.

Sam looked again. No, it wasn’t a lesser angel. He was holding… Oh shit! It was a Nephilim blade. Michael had a second Nephilim!

Rational thought faded and instinct took over. The Nephilim was gazing down at the wounded archangel with a wide grin over his face. Sam leaped forward, lithely reaching down, plucking Gabriel’s archangel blade from his limp hand. Before the Nephilim had a chance to respond, Sam thrust the blade up under his ribcage. The Nephilim fell, eyes wide and surprised. Yellow-orange grace exploded from his falling body.

Before the body hit, Sam fell to the ground beside Gabriel, pulling his mate into his arms. Grace continued to leak from the wound. Sam put his hand over the wound, knowing it wouldn’t work, but not knowing what else to do.

_Sam. I love you_

Oh, Chuck no! This couldn’t be the end of Gabriel.

***

Dean heard both screams as well. Cas and Castiel’s heads went up, like hawks sighting on prey.

“That was a Nephilim grace attack,” Cas said.

Dean’s eyes darted from his angels to the body on the ground and back again. “Wait. I thought he only had the one.”

“Obviously I was wrong,” Castiel said, his tone grim.

Dean quickly assessed his two angels. Castiel’s leg was healing. Cas seemed okay. Until he wasn’t. Fear and emotional pain burst down their bond, temporarily blinding him with its intensity.

_That second scream was Gabriel! He’s dying!_

A moment later, Cas got his emotions back under control. Mostly. Dean could think again, and his first thought was _Sam!_

“We must go,” Castiel said.

“Right,” Dean said. “Claire and Jody. Form up.”

All the humans quickly formed a line, and Cas and Castiel flew them to another section of the battlefield.

As soon as they landed, Dean saw Sam on the ground, holding Gabriel, who was leaking grace from his midsection. It looked bad. He took a quick look around. No angels were near at the moment. He ran to his brother, noting with a tiny part of his attention that Cas, Jody and Claire, along with Mary, were forming up to cover the collapsed archangel and his mate.

Lucifer was standing off to the side, looking bored. Dean wanted to yell at him, but he knew his brother needed him now.

Jack, Lex and Griff appeared just then, took a look at the situation and joined everyone who was standing guard.

Satisfied that they were protected, at least for the moment, Dean went to kneel by his brother and Gabriel.

The archangel looked bad. His eyes were closed, and he was lying in a pool of blood. As far as Dean could tell, the Nephilim had landed a good but not immediately fatal blow, and Gabriel was slowly dying from grace loss. He put a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Sammy. I’m sorry.”

Sam had tears flowing down his face, but he was otherwise holding it together. “He’s fading, Dean. I don’t know what to do.”

Castiel knelt beside them and put a hand on Gabriel. He shook his head. “There’s nothing I can do. He’s lost too much grace.”

Dean bowed his head, already preparing to console his brother when he lost his mate. He’d only had Cas and Castiel as bonded mates for a short period of time, but he already didn’t have any idea how he would cope with the loss. How would he ever help his brother through this?

An image of Castiel, bloodied and broken on a filthy bench intruded into his grief. And suddenly he knew there was an answer.

“Yes,” Castiel exclaimed, having followed the thought. “That might work if he’s not too far gone for Sam to reach.”

At the sound of his name, Sam looked up, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. “What might work?”

“Gabe needs to recharge his grace.” Dean said. “He can use your soul, Sam. It’s how Castiel healed himself.”

Castiel was nodding. “Yes.” He glanced down at the dying archangel. “He’s almost gone, but if you go deep, you can reach him, Sam. Get him to draw on your soul, and he can heal himself.”

Sam nodded, not asking any questions. He closed his eyes, bent over Gabriel and kissed his mate.

Slack lips didn’t respond, and Dean held his breath. Would Sam be able to reach him, or was Gabriel too far gone?


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know what? Just have the rest of the story today. Enjoy!

Sam didn’t hesitate, bending over Gabriel to kiss him, knowing instinctively that was the best way to start reaching him. The bond was fading and almost too faint for him to feel. But he wasn’t going to give up until his mate was all the way gone, and _that wasn’t going to happen!_

He opened himself up to the bond as fully as he could, attempting to grab onto some awareness in Gabriel. It took far too long, and he was starting to worry there was nothing to find. However, finally, he found a spark of awareness in Gabriel. It was fading faster than the bond, but it was there.

_GABE! GRAB MY SOUL! TAKE WHAT YOU NEED TO HEAL!_

There was silence in the bond for an endless heartbeat.

_Then, faintly, Can’t. Too weak._

_NO! GRAB ON DAMMIT!_

Another long pause.

_Can’t_.

Sam could barely “hear” it.

No way. Gabriel dying wasn’t going to happen. He wasn’t sure afterwards exactly how he did it, but somehow he managed to shove part of his soul at the fading awareness of his mate.

He felt _surprise!_ and then, with a weak effort, Gabriel reached for his soul. And missed.

Sam shoved it at him again, almost getting the hang of it this time.

And this time, Gabriel managed, barely, to grab it.

Sam felt the pull on his soul. And painful didn’t even begin to describe it. But if it saved his mate, he’d tolerate anything. Losing Gabriel would be far more painful and last longer than this.

The pull went on for a long time. It got more intense, and for a moment, Sam wasn’t certain he’d be able to stand it, but instinctively, he knew he needed to stay conscious for it to work.

Then the pain shifted, becoming almost erotic, though no less intense.

Oh hell, no. He was not going to come in his pants. Not in the middle of a fucking battlefield.

_Don’t know, Samsquatch. Might be pretty hot to see that._

_Gabriel?_

Love and pride surged down the link. Which was amazing and did nothing helpful for the situation in his pants.

_The one and only. Open your eyes._

Sam did so. Gabriel was stirring in his lap. Oh good. His body had been concealing everything.

A giggle came through the bond as Gabriel stood up, whole and healthy. Sam started to stand up too, but his knees lost all their strength as Gabriel spread his wings to their full extension!

_Gabe!_

_I’m back, baby_ came the response, a mixture of smug, joy and relief.

Delighted exclamations sounded around them. “Brother!” “Gabriel!” “You’re alive!” “Your wings are back!”

Sam couldn’t make out who was saying what, but everyone was expressing their joy at Gabriel’s full recovery. He had a moment to regret that this event was overshadowing Bobby's death, but he couldn't suppress his own joy at his mate's recovery.

_Wish I’d thought of that months ago, Sam. Trust Dean to figure it out._ There was a faint note of mixed approval and disgust at that, and Sam had to stifle a laugh.

He followed it up with,  _and no, I haven't forgotten Bobby either. We'll make sure his death was not in vain._

Sam got up and pulled his mate into a hug, feeling the huge wings gently rustling against his back. He could see them in all their golden glory, though he knew most of the humans could only see their shadows.

“Okay, Sam,” Gabriel said, pulling back, although Sam could feel the reluctance in it. “This is the middle of a battlefield, as you so aptly pointed out.” He turned to look to the northwest corner of the park. “And I think that’s Michael over there.”

“You are still too weak, brother,” came Lucifer’s insolent drawl. “Even after such a magnificent recovery.”

Gabriel whirled, stretching his wings to their full span. From the direction of their gaze, Sam thought that Lex and Griff could see the full wings, not just their shadow.

_They are my vessels. They can’t see them as well as you can, but they can see more than regular humans._ His mental tone was full of pride.

_Pay attention to matters at hand instead of getting all googly eyed over your vessels._

Sam suddenly put a couple of things together. The way Gabriel looked at Lex. His odd reaction when Sam had said the hacker could use bonding. _You’re attracted to Lex?_

_Maybe?_ Came the hesitant reply.

_We’ll talk about this later. Michael now._

The entire conversation had taken less than a second. Sam was getting used to communicating in that fashion and occasionally got impatient with “normal” speech.

Gabriel’s attention was on Lucifer, who was eyeing the magnificent spread of wings. Through the slight connection he had because of the spell, he noticed the archangel wasn’t as dismissive of his brother as he wanted observers to believe. Gabriel rolled his shoulders, puffed out his chest and straightened to his full height. He should have looked ridiculous, but instead he managed to look majestic and powerful.

Sam felt a swelling of pride in his mate.

Lucifer pulled himself up to his full height and spread his wings. However, his wingspan was several inches less than Gabriel’s, and the display did not have the effect he was obviously looking for. None of the humans seemed impressed, and Cas, Castiel and Jack just looked vaguely contemptuous.

Sam felt Lucifer again strain against the spell. However, before he could do much more than begin, Gabriel spoke, his voice commanding without being loud. “Brother. Thou shalt aid me in the fight against our brother from another universe. Because of your inaction, a brave man died. You shall aid us in atonement for that death.”

Lucifer’s feathers rustled, and his wings vanished. He slumped slightly and gave a nod.

Sam could feel his acquiescence, however reluctant, through the spell, and he smiled, wishing there were some way to tell the entire world how magnificent was his mate.

_Sam._ Love and pride came through clearly. _Let's do this and you can show me exactly how magnificent you find me._

Sam stifled a snort. Trust his mate to make everything sexual.

“Where to, brother, and what is the plan?” Cas asked.

Gabriel quickly glanced around their forces, and Sam could feel his calculations. He nodded and said, “Castiel, you stay near me. I need you near me when Michael goes down.”

Sam knew the reason for that, but he saw confusion on most of the faces around him. Oddly, Griff just nodded. And then looked confused that he had nodded. Sam wondered what that was about, but there was no time to ask.

“Luci, you're also with me. As is Sam, of course. Cas and Dean, you're guarding our left flank. Griff and Lex, you're rear guard with at least three of Jack's angels. The rest of you are on the right flank with a few more angels. Jack, deploy the rest of your angels as you see fit.”

Jack's eyes went unfocused for a moment, and his angels assembled themselves. That done, Jack asked, “What about me, Gabriel?”

“If you see a chance, get Hael and Ketch away from them. Take whomever you need to make it happen, as long as you leave every team some backup.”

Jack nodded, his expression sober. “I can do that, Uncle.”

Gabriel scanned his forces again. “Everyone ready?”

Griff shook his head. “Gabriel, a moment if you please?”

Gabriel didn’t look entirely happy at the interruption, and Sam saw Lex shoot his partner _a dude, don’t piss off the archangel_ look. However, the angel nodded, and motioned Griff and Sam off to the side. With a stubborn expression on his face, Lex followed them.

“What is it, Griff?” Gabriel asked.

“You promised me I could stay where I could keep an eye on Lucifer. I went along with the plan earlier, but now that we’re heading for the final battle, I want to be where I can keep an eye on that bastard.”

Gabriel sighed, and Sam frowned. He’d forgotten about that promise. “All right, Griff. You’re right. I did promise that.”

“I go where my partner goes,” Lex said, his tone as stubborn as his expression had been earlier.

“Fine,” Gabriel said, his expression annoyed. However, his eyes were still their normal amber, so Sam knew he wasn’t too upset by it.

Gabriel went back to the others. “Change of plans. Griff and Lex are with me. Claire and Jody, you take their position.”

Most of the humans gave Griff and Lex curious looks. Cas and Castiel looked pleased. Jack gave Griff a thumbs up, and the rest of the angels didn’t seem to have noticed.

Griff’s expression was grim but satisfied, and he held his angel blade as if he were ready to take down an entire army of angels. Lex positioned himself to guard his partner’s side, and his expression held less fear than Sam would have expected.

“Now are we ready?” Gabriel asked.

Everyone nodded or in some way indicated they were.

“Then angels, grab a human and follow me.”

Gabriel reached out for Sam, and they flew. It was the first time Sam had flown with him since they had bonded, and he was surprised to note that, unlike when Cas or another angel carried him, he could sense the motion of Gabriel's wings and experience the sensation of movement.

_It's the bond. And unlike the short distance teleports I've been doing, this is using my wings instead of forcing my grace to power my pagan abilities. This doesn't cost me grace. It's virtually effortless for me._

Sam could feel his mate's joy at being able to fly and travel the way he was designed to.

_I'm happy for you._

They landed, and Sam noticed everyone was in position. He had his angel blade out, which was good because they were in the middle of a large group of Michael's angels. For a few seconds, they had the element of surprise, and their forces took advantage of it.

Cas, Castiel and Jack immediately struck, followed closely by Jack’s angels. To Sam’s surprise, Griff was in motion almost as quickly, and two angels fell, grace exploding from their falling vessels.

Sam killed the angel nearest to him, and, out of the corner of his eye, noticed his brother battling two, backed up by one of Jack’s angels.

Gabriel and Lucifer, however, weren’t fighting. Along with Jack, they were immune to the lesser angels surrounding them, and Sam could feel his mate’s focus.

_There,_ Gabriel said. _With me, brother and Castiel._

Gabriel grabbed Sam and Griff while Castiel took Lex’s arm, startling a squawk from the hacker. Sam felt cool contempt from Lucifer and a vague sense of satisfaction that he wasn’t expected to carry a “mud monkey” with him.

They landed not far from where the rest of the fight was taking place. Sam knew this because he could still hear his brother’s constant litany of profanity as he fought. However, he didn’t have time to be amused by his brother’s mouth.

Michael stood in front of them, his expression bored and contemptuous.

“So this is the Gabriel from another universe that I’ve heard about.” His gaze traveled up and down Gabriel’s slight form, and Sam was surprised at the growl that sounded in the back of his throat. No one dismissed his mate so lightly.

“And you must be the Michael I’ve heard about,” Gabriel said with a drawl. “Gotta say I’m not sure what all the fuss was about. You don’t look like much.”

Sam knew his angel wasn’t as cool as he was trying to sound, and he hoped Michael wasn’t picking up on it.

Michael spread his wings. Sam couldn’t see them as clearly as he could see Gabriel’s, but he got the sense of them. They were huge filled with iridescent colors, mostly various shades of blue and gold.. However, Sam was pleased to note their spread was less than his mate’s.

_Size does matter, Sammich._

Sam nudged the spell binding him to Lucifer, who gave a sigh and spread his own, which were respectable, but not quite as large as Michael’s.

_Don’t get overconfident. This is just the preliminary. Michael’s not going to be content with just a dick measuring contest._

Sam was surprised to hear a snort of amusement from...Griff?

“Very impressive, brothers from a different Father,” Michael said. “But I certainly hope you have more than size. It’s not everything.”

Sam took a step back at the prompting of his mate, and he drew Griff and Lex with him.

The main event was about to start.

***

Gabriel was terrified but was being careful to not let it show in his face or his grace. Fortunately, he had centuries of experience in not revealing his true emotions to others. Sam was in the back of his mind, offering support but no distractions. Lucifer was a solid presence beside him, which should have been reassuring, but he was waiting for the sudden but inevitable betrayal he knew was coming.

It was as he’d said to Sam. Wing size was part of posturing to angels--he’d once likened it to Castiel as “showing your junk”--but once the posturing was done, and the fighting started, he knew how outclassed he was. Power rolled off of Michael. He was carefully blocking that sensation from Sam, not wanting his mate to a) worry and b) realize how weak and useless his mate really was.

Which was when he was surprised by a faint but definite...something...from Griff. He couldn’t quite make it out, but he got enough to think maybe it was...support? Or perhaps something more like _enough of that--do your job, angel_.

Whatever it was, it heartened him. And reminded him that he needed to take a hard look at Griff when this was all over.

Michael furled his wings and charged. Gabriel had only the barest of warning, but, as if they had been practicing it for months, he and Lucifer moved, spreading out to make two distinct targets. Gabriel allowed himself a scant moment to appreciate the sheer joy of fighting alongside his brother before concentrating on defense.

Michael attacked him first, and Gabriel parried easily, recognizing it as the testing pass it was. He deliberately fumbled the parry a little. Because of the size of his vessel, one of his strategies was to lure opponents into underestimating him. Michael grinned and thrust again. Gabriel parried and bound Michael’s blade. The fencing maneuver was easier with something longer than his archangel blade, and, not for the first time, he swore at his Father for giving his most powerful warriors a weapon that was little more than a toothpick.

Unlike a fencer, who would have maneuvered to avoid Gabriel’s riposte, Michael used brute force to bring his blade back in line. He made a clumsy thrust, which Gabriel easily avoided.

He’d deliberately used the fencing move to test Michael’s ability. Angels were skilled with their blades but rarely used much finesse in their fighting style. Cas was an exception and had taken to fencing as if he’d been born to it. Gabriel had used his fencing skill to good effect when fighting pagans, and he’d thought it would be helpful in this fight. Fencing moves could only go so far in offsetting his lack of power, but it might provide a distraction at the right moment.

Which reminded him.

_Anytime, brother. I had him distracted._

Lucifer didn’t respond, which vexed but didn’t particularly surprise him. He was starting to regret his idea of recruiting his brother for this fight.

Gabriel settled in to fight Michael, resigned that he was doing this battle on his own, without assistance. As he’d done in the earlier fight against the lesser angels, Lucifer parried and defended himself from the infrequent attacks from Michael, but he never attacked, and it wasn’t long before Michael completely ignored him.

Sam, Lex and Griff were completely outclassed, as was Castiel, who remained nearby as commanded, but Gabriel could sense confusion from him as to why he was here and not elsewhere.

The only other piece on this board which could have helped him was Jack, and he had other orders.

He fought grimly, pulling out every trick he had learned over the centuries, but none of them allowed him to do more than graze the more powerful archangel. He had to accept the fact that, as he’d known all along, he was unable to win this fight.

What else could he do? Was there any way to even the odds? Weaken Michael in some way?

_Accept the truth. You are too weak, brother_ came a mocking sending from Lucifer.

_I know, damn you. It’s why I wanted your help._

No response, but he hadn’t expected one. However, he’d been distracted at just the wrong moment, and Michael lunged and thrust, landing a solid blow, not at Gabriel’s body, but at his blade. Which flew out of his hand, landing several feet away.

Shit!

Michael paused, smiled, spread his wings and reached out with his hand. Gabriel saw what was coming, and he could have screamed in frustration, if he’d had the time. He was completely out of position to shield his humans from a grace blast.

Michael released the blast of his grace, and Gabriel tried to fly in front of his mate and vessels, but he knew he’d never make it in time.

He was bracing himself, preparing for the sudden shock of losing his mate when the grace blast was...deflected? Gabriel landed and saw Castiel’s wing outstretched to its full length, just barely covering all three humans.

Michael was standing, looking at the outstretched wing as if he’d never seen its like before. Gabriel knew he should be taking advantage of the archangel’s momentary distraction, but he was too overcome with relief at Sam not dying.

Fortunately, someone on the battlefield kept his head.

Griff dove to his left and turned his dive into a roll, coming up with Gabriel’s blade in his hand. The roll left him just in range of Michael, and Griff thrust upward, not quite at the right angle to kill the archangel, but it was good enough to open a huge slash in Michael’s belly, which immediately started leaking grace.

Griff was too off balance to try another attack, which Gabriel wasn’t sure would have worked anyway. He was surprised Griff had managed to do as much damage as he did, not being the archangel bonded to the blade.

Instead of attacking, Griff threw the blade toward Gabriel, who caught it in an underhand grip, tossed it into the air and caught it again with the grip he wanted. As part of the same move, he lunged, driving his blade at just the correct angle to kill Michael.

For half a second, Michael just stared in shock at the hilt of the blade buried in his vessel. Then he threw his head back with a scream as the Grace exploded from his body.

“Castiel! Over here!” Gabriel yelled over Michael’s wailing.

The angel hurried to stand beside Gabriel, shielding his eyes against the light, obviously confused but trusting his brother.

Gabriel fought to collect the glowing strands of Michael’s grace as it escaped. He’d woven this spell the night before, hoping he’d be able to use it. As he collected grace, he shoved it into his spell, trying to catch as much as he could. As the last bit floated by, he grabbed it and then triggered the spell, sending the purloined grace into Castiel.

The angel gasped and stood on his toes, back arching, wings outstretched to their full spread. As Gabriel watched, the wings grew, continuing to spread until they were almost twice their former length. Castiel’s grace signature went supernova bright for a moment, but Gabriel had spread his own wings just in time to shield, one wing for Sam and Lex, who still crouched nearby. The other wing was just long enough to cover Griff, who had fallen flat, face buried into the ground.

_Not stupid_ came a faint but clear surprise sending from Griff. How was he able to do that?

A moment later, Castiel’s body relaxed, and Gabriel felt the unmistakable grace signature of a fellow archangel.

However, before he could celebrate, he heard a yell through his bond to Sam, and a sensation like the snap of a rubber band stretched too tight. The spell on Lucifer shattered.

Satan was free.


	24. Chapter 24

Sam felt the spell on Lucifer snap. His first thought was “Oh, shit! What are we going to do?”

Before he had time for a second thought, and before Lucifer could do more than grin in victory, Castiel moved, almost faster than Sam could track. Sam wanted to yell, “But you can’t hurt him!” but before he could say anything, an _archangel_ blade dropped into Castiel’s hand, and he hurled himself at Lucifer.

The Devil was taken completely by surprise. The only reason he didn’t die in that moment was that Castiel’s attack was too frenzied, and the new archangel missed. Lucifer only just staggered out of the way in time, his confidence wavering. Castiel whirled on his heel to face him again, blade at the ready, teeth bared in a snarl.

Gabriel kept his head and said, “Easy, Castiel. Take your time and do it right.”

Castiel recovered himself and came back at Lucifer, who had barely enough time to get his blade in position to parry.

Sam became aware that Castiel was yelling, “You got my brother killed and my world destroyed! Not again!”

Lucifer clearly didn’t know what to make of what was happening, but he defended himself as well as he could. Unfortunately, even though Castiel was only newly upgraded, he was angry and determined enough to defeat an archangel millenia his senior. In less than a minute, Castiel evaded a particularly clumsy stab, stepped inside Lucifer’s guard, and with a yell drove his blade straight through his sternum and out the other side. Lucifer screamed, collapsing to his knees, and there was a blinding flash of light, strong enough to make Sam turn away to protect his eyes. When he turned back, Lucifer’s vessel was lying dead on the ground. His eyes were still open, staring sightlessly upwards. Charred feathers drifted down to join those burnt into the dirt.

Sam stood staring at the body, not sure what to think. His tormenter was dead. He could never hurt him again. But he’d had no hand in it. Someone else had killed him. Was that fair?

He felt a warm arm wrap around his waist. “It’s fine, Sam. He’s gone, and I’m glad it was neither of us that did it.” It was Gabriel speaking. That made sense. Of course, Gabriel wouldn’t have wanted to kill his own brother. And his mate doing it wouldn’t have been much better.

Why didn’t he feel anything?

_You will. And I’ll be there for you when you do._

Castiel was babbling some sort of apology. His Lucifer had angered Michael? Which had led to his Gabriel being killed when he refused to go along with Michael’s insane, destroy-the-world-because-I-was-butthurt plan. Sam barely followed it, unable to tear his eyes away from Nick’s dead body.

Nick hadn’t needed to die, had he?

“Sam. Come back to me.” Gabriel’s voice again. This time it penetrated his awareness, and Sam was able to think again.

“I’m okay,” he said.

“Well, I know that’s a lie, but at least you’re talking again.” Gabriel’s arm was still warm around him. Sam was pretty sure it was the only reason he was still standing.

“I’m sorry, Sam,” Castiel was saying. “I know you had a claim on him, but I felt the spell snap, and I was afraid he’d...get away...or turn on us. Or something. I’d been wanting to smite him the entire time I’d been here, but I knew I was too weak. Until suddenly I wasn’t.”

Castiel directed his next words to Gabriel. “What was that, brother? And why?”

Gabriel didn’t loosen his hold on Sam even slightly. “There’s plenty of time for explanations. But first, I think we have some angels to pick up. Castiel, want to do the honors?”

“Not you, brother? Or Jack?”

“No. I think you deserve these. You’ll need them for what I want to propose to you.”

Sam mentally shook himself, forcing himself to pay attention to what was going on around him.

Castiel moved off to a clear area and gave his first archangel call. Angels flew in from every direction to land in front of him and kneel.

“What the heck?” Lex asked.

“He’s binding Michael’s angels to him,” Gabriel said.

Sam noticed Griff watching Castiel and his new angels with curiosity and interest.

Sam finally found his voice. “What do we do next? I mean, Michael is gone.” Months spent preparing for this, and now, it was done. It didn’t seem real.

“Yes, Sam. We did it. With a tiny bit of luck we won’t have anything world shattering to deal with for at least a few months.”

“Don’t jinx us.”

Gabriel gave a small chuckle before saying, “As to what’s next, we need to give some Hunter’s burials, and I want to fill in everyone on the rest of my plans.”

“Hunter’s burials?” Griff asked.

“We’ll show you,” Sam said, gazing down at Nick’s body. “He didn’t deserve that.”

“No, he didn’t,” Gabriel agreed. His eyes looked skyward. “He’s up there, where he belongs.”

“And Lucifer?” Sam asked.

“The Empty,” Gabriel said. “For all that he did, he was still an angel.”

Sam could see Lex and Griff both wanted to ask about that, but neither of them said anything.

“Castiel,” Gabriel called. “Let’s take your angels and move this somewhere less conspicuous.”

At the same time he was saying that to Castiel, Sam heard him communicate much the same thing to Cas and Jack through their bond. Sam felt Jack murmur something back to him, but he couldn’t quite catch it. He turned to Gabriel questioningly.

“Jack was just telling me that Hael and Ketch are fine, by the way,” Gabriel said to him after he finished his silent conversation with his brothers. He turned back to the rest of their party, looking at the bodies with a grim expression. “Let’s go and wrap all of this up.”

He snapped his fingers, and the two dead vessels were swaddled in canvas, ready for cremation. “Griff and Lex, want to take Michael’s vessel? Sam, you and I can take Nick.”

“What about Bobby?” Sam asked.

“Dean and Cas have him already.”

The four of them took their respective bodies. Gabriel and Castiel flew them to the coordinates Gabriel had sent all the angels.

As soon as they landed, Sam glanced around, noting they had landed in what looked like a field in the middle of nowhere.

_That’s because it is a field in the middle of nowhere._

Angels and humans winked in all around them. Angels formed up near their archangel leaders while the humans gathered in an uncertain clump.

Gabriel cleared his throat, and everyone looked at him. “All right. We’ve accomplished what we set out to do. Michael is defeated.” He glanced at the wrapped bodies.”As is Lucifer, although that hadn’t been a part of the plan.”

Sam noticed Dean stand up straighter at that. Cas hadn’t told him already?

Gabriel snapped his fingers, and three biers appeared, bodies lying on them.

Everyone was silent. Gabriel’s voice rang out in the quiet, carrying out over the assembled crowds, humans and angels both. “None of the vessels deserved what happened to them. Nor did Bobby. Let us take a moment to honor each of them for their sacrifices.”

The silence lasted for a second more, letting everyone pay their respects. Then, with a snap of Gabriel’s fingers, the three biers burst into flame.

Sam leaned over to whisper to Lex and Griff. “Hunter’s burial. The bodies are salted and burned so they can’t come back as ghosts or be used as meatsuits by demons.”

The newest two Hunters nodded gravely. Griff bowed his head. Lex remained staring straight at the burning bodies.

After several minutes, Gabriel spoke again. “For those of you who don’t know, Castiel is now an archangel. I used the grace from Michael to elevate him.” He nodded at the newest archangel. “I had always intended him to rule Heaven in his world since there are no archangels remaining there. Will you accept this charge, Castiel?”

“I will. Though I’m not entirely sure what to do,” he said.

Gabriel smiled. “Well, then. It’s a good thing one of your new mates has some experience in that area.”

Sam suppressed a smirk.  _If by that you mean while being ridden by Leviathan and Lucifer._

_Minor details, Samsquatch_

Sam noticed Dean gazing proudly on his new mate.

“Cas, perhaps you and Dean would like to travel with Castiel for a while to get him acclimated?”

Dean was smiling, clearly on board with that. Sam would miss his brother, but he couldn’t deny him some time with both his mates together. He’d be back eventually.

“What about our Heaven?” Jody asked. “Will you be ruling it? And what about the terminal shortage of angels you’ve mentioned?”

Gabriel nodded. “I did have a plan for that.”

Sam noticed Castiel’s slight frown.

“Jack has called a number of angels to him. Assuming any of them are willing to stay here, they can begin the repopulation of our Heaven, under Jack’s rule.”

Jack stepped forward. “As long as my Uncle is willing to teach me what I need to learn, I’m willing. However, any of my angels who wish to go back to their home universe are welcome to do so. I’ll release you from your binding to me.”

Sam was pleased that only a handful of angels chose to switch their allegiance from Jack to Castiel.

Mary walked over to stand near Castiel. “I’d like to go back, if you’ll have me. I believe my place is there.”

Sam didn’t like it, but he’d seen it coming.

Castiel nodded. “I’ll be delighted to have the mother of my mate aiding me. But I think you should say goodbye to your younger son before you go.”

Mary jogged over to Sam, who hugged her. “I’m sorry,” she said. “But I never really fit here.”

As much as Sam hated to admit it, he knew she was right. “I know, Mom. Just...visit sometimes?”

“I can do that.”

Goodbyes made, Mary went back to stand by Castiel, and Gabriel continued. “I think that’s it, then. Jack, if you don’t mind asking some of your angels to return the Hunters plus Claire and Jody to their homes?”

“I don’t mind.”

The humans said their goodbyes before Jack and his angels disappeared, leaving only Castiel’s angels in the field.

Castiel walked over to hug Gabriel. “Thank you, brother.”

Gabriel hugged back. “No, thank you. I appreciate you letting me have some of your angels. We’ll take good care of them here.”

“I know you will.”

Cas and Dean strode over, a bulging backpack over Dean’s shoulder. “Cas ran me by the Bunker to grab a few things. We’re thinking about staying for about a month. That should give us time to get everyone started on the right track.”

Sam hugged Dean, feeling like everyone was leaving him, even though he knew Dean would be back.

Castiel smiled, raised a hand and a crackling yellow-orange line appeared a few feet away from him.

“Good job, brother,” Gabriel said, his tone proud.

“I learned from the best.”

Dean glanced back at them. Sam tried to smile, giving him a little wave, and Dean grinned back, throwing him a salute. He knew. The angels, Mary, Cas and Dean stepped through, the portal winking back into non-existence behind them.

Only Gabriel, Sam, Griff and Lex were left in front of the slowly burning biers. All of a sudden, the field felt very empty.

“Where are Hael and Ketch?” Sam asked.

“They went with Jack and the other hunters,” Griff answered.

“Time for us to go home,” Gabriel said.

“What about us?” Lex asked.

“You’re welcome to leave, if you’d like,” Gabriel said. “But I was hoping you’d stay and continue to hunt with us.”

Sam agreed and hoped they’d go along with it.

Lex and Griff exchanged looks and both nodded. “We’d like that,” Lex said.

“Good,” Gabriel said. “Because you and I need to have a long talk, Griff. You’re doing some things I didn’t know you could, and I want to find out why.”

Griff gave an audible gulp at that but stood his ground.

Sam gave a sidelong look at Lex. He and Gabriel needed to have their own talk about his mate’s apparent fascination with the hacker.

But it could wait. For now, he wanted to go home.

_Where you’re going to show me how wonderful I am. You still owe me that._

Sam laughed loudly, which caused both Griff and Lex to jump.

At least getting his wings back hadn’t changed much about his mate.

_Never Sammich._

Including the desire to get in the last word.

Sam slipped his arm around his mate. For the moment all was right with the world. He’d worry about tomorrow later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said at the beginning of this that I was ending the Bonded Angels verse with this story. Well, I may have changed my mind. I'm thinking there may be a couple of others to come. Maybe a short with Sam and Gabriel dealing with the death of Lucifer in their own ways and possibly one detailing Dean, Cas and Castiel figuring out Heaven in the other world. We'll see what my muse comes up with.
> 
> But thank you for reading this epic that started in Out of Hell Leads Up to Light. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
> 
> And definitely look for more Lex and Griff to come. Their story of being Hunters is just about to start.


End file.
